Robots in charge of food service at the Beijing Olympics 0:44
(CNN) --
From the metaverse to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), new technology is endlessly changing the way we live our lives.
And one of the biggest stages where it takes place is sport.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, robotics and other technological innovations, new high-tech sports are taking their first steps around the world.
From robots taking to the field to play soccer to pilot-controlled drones competing with each other, just like humans, the machines are proving to have their own competitive streak.
AI can now even create new sports, from the strategy and rules of the game to the layout of the playing field.
These high-tech sports may sound like they're from the future, but they already exist.
These are some of the most innovative.
Sports and technology in one: this is football with drones
Drone soccer is a fast-paced sport with an educational component.
In drone soccer, teams of between three and five pilots score points by flying their "forward" drone through their opponent's goal, while the opposition's drones attempt to block them.
It features three sets of intense three-minute gameplay in which players must weigh how aggressively they fly against the risk of damaging the drone.
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The sport has its origins in South Korea and the first US drone soccer tournament was held in July last year at the Rocky Mountain State Games in Colorado.
Leagues are launching in Colorado, New York, Ohio and elsewhere, and US Drone Soccer is introducing the sport to high schools, where it will be combined with an educational program in which students learn how to build, program and repair drones.
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Technology is rapidly changing our lives, and that applies to sport as much as anywhere else.
For example, RoboCup is a soccer competition for autonomous robots, watched by tens of thousands of viewers.
Look through the gallery to see some of the other innovative sports being played today.
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The RoboCup Petite League features teams of six robots that must fit within a 180mm diameter circle and be no larger than 15cm.
The ultimate goal of the tournament is to advance the development of intelligent robots.
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ROBO-ONE is a robot fighting competition, organized by the Biped Robotics Association.
The robots fight in an octagonal ring and must knock down their opponent three times to win.
In addition to bringing excitement to viewers, the competition aims to improve robotics technology and promote intelligent robots to the public.
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Segway polo is just like regular polo, but instead of horses, players ride two-wheeled electric Segways.
The Segway Polo Club of Barbados, in blue, won the 2019 World Championship.
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Coming soon, perhaps, to an off-road racetrack near you, there will be the Furrion Prosthesis exobionic mechanical racing robot.
This giant robotic exoskeleton was created by engineer Jonathan Tippet.
His vision is to use it for robot racing, a sport in which people will pilot huge mech suits through complex obstacle courses.
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Aiming to promote the use of sustainable micromobility transport in urban areas, the eSkootr Championship will launch in spring 2022. Riders will race through urban circuits on high-tech S1-X electric scooters, which can reach speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour.
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| In drone soccer, teams of between three and five pilots score points by flying their "striker" drone through their opponent's goal, while the opposition attempts to block them. The sport, which originated in South Korea, had its first US tournament in July of last year at the Rocky Mountain State Games in Colorado, with leagues to be launched in Colorado, New York, Ohio and others. places.
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Half of what could become a sport of the future is FORPHEUS, an intimidating table tennis-playing robot developed by automation parts maker Omron.
It is meant to help your human opponent train by matching the difficulty of their game to their abilities, using cameras that detect their movement, facial expression, and heart rate.
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Speedgate is a game created by artificial intelligence and combines aspects of croquet, rugby and soccer.
A neural network was trained using rules from around 400 sports, according to AKQA, the design agency behind Speedgate.
The sport is now becoming a college league across the United States, says AKQA.
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Camel racing is a traditional sport in the Middle East.
But while child riders were once commonplace, in countries like the United Arab Emirates they have been replaced by lightweight robot riders.
Jockey robots consist of a metal frame with remote control functions.
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In addition to a standard whip, trainers can add additional features to their jockey robots, such as a GPS to pinpoint the camel's location, a walkie-talkie to allow the trainer to talk to the camel, and a heart rate monitor.
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In first-person view drone racing, pilots guide drones through complex race tracks while wearing goggles that stream live video from the drone's cameras.
The Drone Racing League (DRL) has been televised by major networks and has amassed more than 75 million fans worldwide since its launch in 2016, according to DRL CEO and founder Nicholas Horbaczewski.
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US Drone Soccer will also support the African Drone Soccer Challenge for teams of young players, led by girls, which will take place on January 29 in Lagos, Nigeria.
Robots are ready to participate in the RoboCup in Japan
robot soccer
The RoboCup Standard Platform League 2019, in Sydney, Australia.
The Robot World Cup Initiative, "RoboCup" for short, is a soccer competition for autonomous robots.
It has various leagues, in which robots of different sizes must make independent decisions while communicating effectively with their teammates.
The contest doubles as an international scientific project.
In RoboCup Humanoid League, for example, researchers drive robotics challenges such as dynamic walking and running, kicking the ball while maintaining balance, visual perception of the ball, and teamwork.
The robots have come a long way since the first RoboCup in 1997, where 40 teams participated and 5,000 spectators attended, but the robots had difficulty finding the ball and moving, according to the organization's website.
RoboCup 2021 featured more than 300 teams, and now, the robots can "reliably find a ball, move very quickly, and start to show teamwork behaviors."
RoboCup's ultimate goal is that by 2050, "a team of fully autonomous humanoid robotic soccer players will win a soccer match, adhering to official FIFA rules, against the most recent World Cup winner."
drone racing
Drone Racing League pilots flying first person at the DRL Vegas Championship Race, January 2022.
In first-person view drone racing, pilots steer drones through complex race tracks while wearing goggles that stream live video from the drone's camera, so pilots feel like they're flying inside of them.
Elite pilots participate in the World Professional Drone Racing League (DRL), which has been televised by major networks, with their custom racing drones traveling at 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour.
Drone racing is believed to have started in Australia around 2010, when pilots attached cameras to their drones and raced them through parks and backyards, according to DRL CEO and founder Nicholas Horbaczewski.
Since then, DRL has helped bring the sport into the mainstream.
Six years after the league's official launch in 2016, the sport now has 75 million active fans worldwide, Horbaczewski says.
Marcus Rashford, the English soccer star on and off the pitch
Speedgate
The Speedgate was invented by artificial intelligence.
Speedgate does not require advanced technology to play, but it is a game created by artificial intelligence. The sport combines aspects of croquet, rugby and football, with a playing field consisting of three closed circles arranged in a line. In three seven-minute periods, two teams of six pass the ball to each other, either throwing it below the waist or kicking it, with the objective of kicking the ball through the final gate to score.
"Deep learning algorithms" were used to come up with ideas for every aspect of the game, from the gameplay and rules to the logo, according to AKQA, the design agency behind Speedgate. The team trained a neural network using rules from about 400 sports. Over 1,000 results were produced, some were "downright dangerous", according to AKQA, such as an exploding disc relay in which disc-like objects are thrown at players that explode on impact. Others were simply "hilariously implausible", such as "hot air balloon tightrope racket" in which a team is suspended on a tightrope between two hot air balloons, hitting an object with rackets.
Speedgate has been officially recognized by the Oregon Sports Authority and is now becoming a college league across the United States, says AKQA.
segway pole
Captain Nevin Roach (in blue) attacking the Barbados team at the 2019 World Segway Polo Championships, Sweden.
Segway polo is a team sport in which players in two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicles attempt to score by hitting a ball over the finish line with their mallet.
Originating in the US, the sport is now played in Germany, Sweden, the UK, Barbados, Spain, Lebanon, and other countries.
The Segway Polo World Championship, named the "Woz Challenge Cup" after Apple co-founder and Segway polo player Steve Wozniak, was established in 2006. The Segway Polo Club of Barbados (SPCB) is the most successful team in the history of the sport, having won the World Championship five times, most recently in 2019.
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