Iran will host the international robot soccer competitions (FIRA) next year, said the head of Robotics Research Center at Amirkabir University of Technology.
Saeed Shiri added that the Federation of International Robot-Soccer Association will hold the 2015 games in South Korea later this year.
"Iran has been selected as the host country for FIRA 2016, which will be the first such event for Iran," he said.
According to Shiri, world-famous robotic teams entering Iran will pave the way for future collaboration between domestic and foreign universities as well as scientific centers, IRNA reported.
To prepare students for FIRA 2016, Amirkabir university has set up the first Iran FIRA Cup Open from November 14-19, 2015.
The event will be held alongside Amirkabir's Fifth International Robotics Competition and Third International Artificial Intelligence Cup.
The university will also host the First Exhibition of Knowledge-Based Robotics Firms, Automation and Artificial Intelligence. Amirkabir RoboCup has 14 robotic and seven artificial intelligence categories.
According to Shiri, most contestants are graduates and independent teams, though there will also be a special league for schoolchildren.
FIRA's First International Robot Soccer Championship was held at KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea, in 1996.
The Federation of International Robot-soccer Association was founded in June 1997 with the goal of promoting the spirit of science and technology of robotics among laymen and younger generations through robot soccer.
FIRA Cup has been held annually since 1996. Through its events, enthusiasts gain a better understanding of scientific concepts and technological developments needed for future research projects.
Australia, Brazil, China and France, among many others, have all hosted the FIRA Cup. The event has now attained world recognition as a robotic festival.
