Researchers at the University of Freiburg have two papers up on RoboSapien v1 soccer players: Using Handheld Computers to Control Humanoid Robots and Playing Soccer with RoboSapien. These papers are based on NimbRo’s experiences at the German Brainstormers exhibition and in the RoboCup Humanoid League.

In light of Wowwee adjusting its price point and expanding from toys into robotics, I found the following quote of interest:

While RoboSapien is certainly the most frequently sold humanoid robot today, it is not the only option for researchers. Kondo developed the servo-driven KHR-1 robot kit [12]. We augmented it with a Pocket PC and a camera as well and use it for gait optimization and to play soccer. Compared to RoboSapien, it is more expensive (EUR 1,000), less robust, and less stable.

Apparantly Robosapien schools KHR-1 in soccer, but what about a Robo-one cage match?