Robots are getting in on the World Cup action with their own version of the tournament taking place in Singapore.
The robots battle for goal victory on the pitch
As human footie players from across the globe battle to reach the final stages of the competition in South Africa, RoboCup 2010 features all sorts of androids from pint-sized to nearly 5ft tall ones.
Naturally, the robot version differs from the original sport, with teams fielding up to five robots a side and matches lasting no longer than 40 minutes.
And the match-winning goal scored in the finals was of course by the robot version of Pele, living up to the legendary Brazilian footballer's name.
The tournament, organised by Swiss-based robotics initiative RoboCup Federation, has been running since 1997 and this is the first year it has been held in Singapore.
"Soccer is the best game to really show the mental, physical and many, many skills. Its not just mental skills, there's physical, mental, teamwork," Zhou Changjiu, chairman of RoboCup's Singapore chapter said.
"From the way we promote science and technology, soccer is very attractive. It's very attractive everywhere, everyone wants to watch soccer right? I think that's the best way to reach out."
Organisers say their ultimate goal is for the robots to compete with human champions in the real World Cup by 2050.
There is a little way to go yet, though, and Istanbul plans to host the robot event next year.
The robots battle for goal victory on the pitch
As human footie players from across the globe battle to reach the final stages of the competition in South Africa, RoboCup 2010 features all sorts of androids from pint-sized to nearly 5ft tall ones.
Naturally, the robot version differs from the original sport, with teams fielding up to five robots a side and matches lasting no longer than 40 minutes.
And the match-winning goal scored in the finals was of course by the robot version of Pele, living up to the legendary Brazilian footballer's name.
The tournament, organised by Swiss-based robotics initiative RoboCup Federation, has been running since 1997 and this is the first year it has been held in Singapore.
"Soccer is the best game to really show the mental, physical and many, many skills. Its not just mental skills, there's physical, mental, teamwork," Zhou Changjiu, chairman of RoboCup's Singapore chapter said.
"From the way we promote science and technology, soccer is very attractive. It's very attractive everywhere, everyone wants to watch soccer right? I think that's the best way to reach out."
Organisers say their ultimate goal is for the robots to compete with human champions in the real World Cup by 2050.
There is a little way to go yet, though, and Istanbul plans to host the robot event next year.