Robot vs robot at Japan soccer championship
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TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - It was war of the machines in Tokyo as robots, and their Japanese owners, battled it out to be crowned king of the soccer pitch.
Some sixteen teams, involving almost 50 robots, made it to the Robo-one Soccer Cup final on Sunday after qualifying in preliminary rounds held across the country.
The players, measuring only about 30 centimeters (one foot) tall, kicked about a miniature soccer ball in teams of three as their owners furiously maneuvered them on the sidelines.
"It is very difficult to team up with two other robots. You have to place the right robot in the right position," said 26-year-old robot soccer enthusiast Hiroyuki Nomura.
"My dream is to create a robot which can move as smoothly as human beings do," added 40-year-old Naoki Maru.
Like real players, many of the robots suffered injuries on the field -- glitches that needed prompt attention. Others ran in the opposite direction to the ball.
Japan is hooked on androids, with several companies selling robots that mimic human action such as playing drums or dancing to music.
Robot festivals such as the soccer championship are becoming more and more popular in this cyber-crazy nation where increasingly sophisticated humanoid machines are fast becoming a common entertainment gadget.
