Sapienza University of Rome at RomeCup 2026 with Booster T1
A humanoid robot that recognises the ball, moves autonomously on the pitch and shoots at goal. At the demonstration area of the RomeCup 2026, taking place in Rome from 28 to 30 April, Sapienza University of Rome is presenting Booster T1, the football-playing robot ‘trained’ by the SPQR team.
The RomeCup, the multi-event promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS and titled this year “What’s next? Intelligence and talent in dialogue”, explores the future of education, research and business through dialogue between the humanities and computational sciences, with a focus on augmented languages.
The 2026 edition opens at Sapienza University of Rome, which is also participating in the demonstration area with some of its most advanced research.
Representing the university is the “Antonio Ruberti” Department of Computer, Automation and Management Engineering, which is engaged in the development of autonomous robotic systems. The star of the exhibition space is Booster T1, a humanoid robotic platform used in the RoboCup, on which Team SPQR develops advanced algorithms and control systems.
Team SPQR is a long-standing fixture at RomeCup: for years it has taken part in competitions and contributed to the development of humanoid robotics on the international stage, carrying out continuous research that is also recognised within the RoboCup context.
For the first time, however, the team is appearing in the demonstration area with Booster T1, offering the public the opportunity to observe an advanced autonomous robotic football system up close.
The project is part of a long-term technological challenge involving universities and research centres worldwide: to organise, by 2050, a football match between fully autonomous humanoid robots and the FIFA World Cup champions.
Within the RomeCup demonstration area, visitors can watch Booster T1 in action on a playing field, as it performs a series of tasks completely autonomously. The robot is designed to navigate the playing area, recognise the ball, coordinate its movements to attempt a shot on goal, and react in real time to external stimuli.
The system is also capable of following the referee’s instructions and interacting with the public, answering questions put to it, demonstrating how computer vision, motor control and artificial intelligence technologies can be integrated into a single robotic system.
The presence of Sapienza University of Rome at the RomeCup thus offers a concrete glimpse into the frontiers of humanoid robotics, where academic research, artificial intelligence and advanced engineering converge to develop machines capable of moving and making decisions in dynamic and complex contexts. An open-air laboratory for imagining the future of interaction between humans and robots.
