Pedro Lima’s involvement with RoboCup dates back to 1998, a year after the competition’s first edition in 1997. That year, together with Carlos Pinto-Ferreira, he had launched the SocRob (Society of Robots) project at ISR-Lisbon, which would go on to become SoccerRobots when it began competing in the Soccer Middle Size League. The project also had Soccer Simulation (with Luís Custódio) and Rescue (with Rodrigo Ventura) components. Participation in robotic football was interrupted in 2013, resuming in 2016 with the @Home team, which achieved two podium finishes in the international competition in 2023 and 2024.
Over the years, Pedro Lima has held several positions within the RCF structure, such as Chair of the Middle Size League in 2001; Member of the Executive Committee; and Vice-President of the RCF between 2023 and 2025. In 2004, he co-organised the Lisbon edition of RoboCup with Luís Custódio.
This new term as President will last three years and will involve managing the RCF and setting the broad direction for the RoboCup competitions as “research competitions” that promote Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. As an example, the outgoing President, Ubbo Visser, introduced humanoids into several leagues and substantially changed their structure. The new President will also be responsible for ensuring the organisation’s financial health and guaranteeing that the annual events take place.
For Pedro Lima, the RCF is the creator of the world’s most prestigious AI and Robotics competition, recognised for its good practices, its impact on scientific publications, technology transfer, and the international community it brings together. “RoboCup has been at the forefront of research into AI and robotics applied to integrated systems, compared through challenges common to all participants, such as robotic football, domestic robots, or search and rescue robots.”
The recent sponsorship by some of the largest Chinese humanoid companies illustrates the growing interest in this area. At a time of strong technological development, RoboCup aims to take on an even greater role: in the first week of July, in Incheon, during RoboCup 2026, the first-ever 11-a-side humanoid football match took place.
