Humanoid robots were tested in traditional sporting activities such as track and field and table tennis, while also facing challenges that highlight their potential for real-world applications, including medicine sorting, material handling, and cleaning services.
Out of the competing teams, 192 were university groups while 88 came from private enterprises, including major Chinese players like Unitree and Fourier Intelligence. Many of the competitors used machines built by domestic manufacturers such as Booster Robotics, reinforcing China’s growing role as a leader in robotics manufacturing.
For some participants, the games offered more than just competition. “We come here to play and to win. But we are also interested in research,” said Max Polter, a member of the German team HTWK Robots from Leipzig University of Applied Sciences. “You can test a lot of interesting new approaches in this contest. If it doesn’t work, we lose the game, which is sad, but it is better than investing heavily in a product that fails.”
Spectators at the Beijing event, who paid between 128 and 580 yuan ($18–$81) for tickets, witnessed plenty of drama. Robots collided, tumbled, and at times collapsed mid-race, prompting both gasps and laughter from the crowd. In one football match, four robots toppled in a heap, while in the 1,500-metre run, a machine suddenly fell mid-sprint. Despite frequent stumbles, many robots managed to rise without human assistance, earning enthusiastic applause.
Organisers noted that the games serve as a valuable testing ground, with sports like football helping improve robots’ coordination skills — knowledge that could translate into practical uses such as assembly line collaboration in factories.
China has been investing billions of dollars into humanoid robotics, driven by both demographic pressures from an ageing population and intensifying competition with the United States in advanced technologies. The World Humanoid Robot Games are the latest in a string of high-profile events, including the world’s first humanoid robot marathon in Beijing and the launch of retail outlets dedicated to humanoid robots.
Analysts say the public’s fascination with robots is rising rapidly. In a recent report, Morgan Stanley highlighted the surge in attendance at robotics conferences, describing it as evidence that enthusiasm for “embodied intelligence” now extends far beyond government and corporate circles into mainstream society.
As the Beijing games continue, the mix of stumbles, breakthroughs, and laughter suggests that humanoid robots may still have a long way to go. But for the scientists, engineers, and audiences involved, each fall is simply another step toward the future.