Robot Soccer Is the Next Step In Machines Taking Over the World

Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet. It's so popular, in fact, that even non-humans play it.

That's right -- robot soccer is here. And this sport, played by machines that are not controlled by people, makes it seem like 'The Terminator' may be closer to reality than we ever thought it could be. Hooray?

The recently-completed RoboCup in the Netherlands pits about 1,000 robots from more than three dozen countries against each other, with the goal of creating robots so good that they can field a team that will beat the human World Cup-winning team by 2050.

Developers send their robots to the tournament to show off how far their creations have come and to help accelerate advancements made in the field. Soccer was chosen as a vehicle to shine a light on the technology, with the idea that any progress could be applied in different fields.

We say forget soccer -- let's see if someone can create a team of robots that will stop the Miami Heat from a three-peat.