As university research departments and big corporations continue to finance the research & development of artificial intelligence, one way in which to test the vialbility of their creations is through football matches and simulations.

The event photographed in these images is the Japan Open, where teams from both universities and commercial organisations have come together to test their robots, whilst having a bit of fun as well. These are not, however, fast and furious matches - and indeed most of the robots are inclined to break down. The Japan Open is, for many of these competitors, a trial...