The World Cup has seen superstars, pitch invaders, heartbreak and joy across its 96 years — and, on Sunday, ​it got a robot.

A new generation of robots is beginning to take shape, one that moves, senses, and adapts more like living creatures.

Earlier this year in Beijing, a humanoid robot crossed a half-marathon finish line in a blistering 50 minutes, 26 seconds.

Meet Atlas, the 5-foot tall humanoid robot that delivered the World Cup match ball, has 56 points of movement on its body, ...