Beijing: China kicked off the three-day World Humanoid Robot Games on Friday, drawing 280 teams from 16 countries to compete in sports and robot-specific challenges.
The competition features robots participating in sports such as football, track and field, and table tennis, alongside practical tasks including sorting medicines, handling materials, and cleaning services.
Teams hailed from countries including the United States, Germany, and Brazil, with 192 representing universities and 88 from private enterprises such as Unitree and Fourier Intelligence. Most competing robots were manufactured by Chinese companies, including Booster Robotics.
“We come here to play and to win. But we are also interested in research,” said Max Polter, a member of Germany’s HTWK Robots football team from Leipzig University of Applied Sciences.
At the games, which charged 128 to 580 yuan ($17.83–$80.77) for tickets, humanoid robots frequently toppled during competitions. In a football match, four robots collided and fell in a tangled heap, while one robot collapsed mid-sprint during the 1500-metre running event, drawing gasps and cheers from the audience. Despite the tumbles, many robots were able to right themselves independently, earning applause from spectators.
Organizers emphasized that the event serves as a critical platform for data collection, helping advance robots for practical applications such as factory operations. Football matches, for instance, train robots’ coordination skills, which could prove essential for assembly line tasks requiring collaboration between multiple units.
China is investing billions of dollars in humanoid robotics as it faces an ageing population and increasing competition with the United States in advanced technologies.
Recent high-profile initiatives include the country’s first humanoid robot marathon in Beijing, a robotics conference, and the opening of retail stores dedicated to humanoid robots.
