Shenzhen Luohu Launches Humanoid Robot Soccer Pilot, First Luohu Cup in December
On the afternoon of Sept 28, the launch meeting for Shenzhen Luohu District's primary and secondary school humanoid robot soccer training-competition-evaluation integrated project and the first Luohu Cup was held at Cuiyuan Middle School in Luohu District. The first Luohu Cup humanoid robot soccer league for primary and secondary students has officially entered the preparatory stage.
The project is hosted by the Luohu District Education Bureau, organized by Shenzhen Zhiyin Technology Co., Ltd., and supported by Beijing Accelerated Evolution Technology Co., Ltd. It aims to promote embodied intelligence from university laboratories into primary and secondary classrooms through a closed-loop education model featuring training first, competition as practice, and integrated teaching and evaluation.
Why humanoid robot soccer? A Luohu District Education Bureau official said competition in embodied intelligence ultimately comes down to talent. Most K-12 AI education focuses on theory and screen interaction, lacking a real carrier for physical interaction and multi-scenario adaptation. Humanoid robot soccer offers a complete loop of perception, decision-making, execution, and group collaboration, letting students debug robots, optimize strategies, and grasp embodied intelligence through real matches.
Luohu already has scaled advantages: 20 embodied intelligence education experimental schools, 40 seed teachers, and a collaborative network of the education bureau, universities, and leading firms. The project uses the local Luohu Cup as traction, with pilots across 20 middle schools and 4 high schools. Primary schools focus on introductory general education; middle schools form competition teams.
Training precedes competition. Unlike traditional pre-event training camps, the Luohu plan features training before and throughout. It is anchored on six roles—program development, strategy, refereeing, commentary, equipment maintenance, and operations—and progresses through basic, role-specific, and practical levels. Rolling classes year-round aim to cultivate over 100 certified talents, ensuring every post in the first league has certified staff.
Li Qingcheng, a computer science professor at Nankai University, said at the event that the world is at an inflection point in human-AI relations. Education's value lies not only in knowledge transfer but in guiding thinking and shaping values. He stressed that AI is both mirror and coach; students should train questioning, critical thinking, and metacognition through asking, probing, and reflecting. He warned that AI's greatest danger is not error but confident error, so the human-as-master, AI-as-assistant boundary must be clear.
Lei Yuanyi, director of Wuhan University Shenzhen Research Institute's basic education technology center, proposed competition as PBL. He said intelligent-agent thinking is a foundational future capability. Through perception, decision, action, and reflection, students grow thinking in real competition.
Evaluation uses the 51PBL integrated platform, which automatically collects classroom observation, task performance, and collaboration data. It generates personalized growth reports and class radar charts, shifting competitions from results-only to process, evidence, and growth.
Industry partner Beijing Accelerated Evolution Technology has won the humanoid robot soccer World Cup three times in three years. It has a branch in Shenzhen Nanshan and plans an operations center. The first Luohu Cup is scheduled for December 2026, with finals and awards in January 2027, directly connecting to the May 2027 National Robot Competition. The Luohu District Education Bureau said whoever first runs the competition-training-evaluation loop will define the regional standard for learning by doing.