VIENNA (AFP) - - After Euro 2008, now Austria is preparing to host RoboCup, where 500 robots take to the football field hoping to prove their mettle.

Held annually since 1997, the RoboCup, one of the world's largest demonstrations of robotics, will take place in the southern city of Graz in July 2009, organiser Gerald Steinbauer said Friday.

"Robot-football is more than just entertainment. It is the ideal sceanario for developing moving robots in a mobile environment," said Steinbauer, a robotics specialist at Graz Technical University.

The 500 robots will be joined by 2,500 human players, with teams competing in four championships, depending on the size of robot.

A fifth, completely virtual, competition runs alongside the four championships, with two teams of 11 players pitted against each other in a simulator.

A more serious addition to the programme will test the efficiency of robots as potential life-savers in an earthquake scenario, Steinbauer added.

On the sidelines of the tournament, international experts will give public lectures on the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence.