ROBOT SQUADS RUNNING ON ALL GEARS IN SOCCER MATCH: A recent soccer match in Japan could have been described as a mechanical effort from both teams. That’s because the game was played by robots:

REUTERS passes along news of a motorized matchup between futuristic forwards and gizmoed goalies in Tokyo. The event, called “Robot Athletic Meet 2007″, featured small human-like machines running around an indoor field, trying to be a bionic Beckham or zinc-plated Zidane.For the most part, the action consisted of a lot of clumsy, unconvincing falls on the pitch by the players - not unlike a typical European League match.

But it wasn’t just humanoid halfbacks providing quality entertainment, as Sony supplied robot dogs to the event. The motorized mutts attempted to liven up the game-day atmosphere by “dancing to samba music dressed in colorful samurai and bikini costumes.”

Animatronic poodles in two-piece suits shaking their geared-up groove thangs? We’re there!