Robots in Bristol for FIRA RoboWorld Cup

Bristol Robotics Laboratory led the bid to host the event in the UK

More than 200 robots are heading to Bristol for the first FIRA RoboWorld Cup to be held in the UK.

Twenty-seven teams will take part in football, basketball and weightlifting events in the At-Bristol science centre over six days, starting on Monday.

Advanced robots and their creators are travelling from Mexico, Canada, India and China for the competition.

The UK has a team from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and another from the University of Plymouth taking part.

The city won the chance to host the event due to the work of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), a joint research project between the University of Bristol and UWE Bristol.

Guido Herrmann, who led the BRL bid, said: "We are looking forward to welcoming teams from around the world to Bristol.

"The competition promises to be both exciting and insightful, pushing the boundaries of robotics to the limit.

"This will be a fantastic opportunity for the public to see just what autonomous robots are capable of.

"Although very different to the Olympics, it's another opportunity to show the world just what Great Britain is capable of, both as event hosts and being pioneers of engineering."

The FIRA RoboWorld Cup was founded in 1996.