Take a quick glance at the soccer career of Eddie Lewis and you see a guy who pretty much did it all. Four years at UCLA followed by a 15-year professional career that saw Lewis play for two teams in the United States and four clubs in England.

THORwin isn't can't quite bend it like Beckham, but when it comes to robotic soccer players, it's one of the best. The US-made machine has just won top prize in the adult-sized category at this year's RoboCup in China, an international annual soccer ...