BEIJING: China on Friday launched a three-day sporting spectacle for humanoid robots, showcasing advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. The World Humanoid Robot Games has drawn 280 teams from 16 nations, competing in events ranging from football, track and field, and table tennis to specialised challenges like medicine sorting, material handling, and cleaning tasks.
Participants include teams from the United States, Germany, and Brazil, with 192 representing universities and 88 from private companies. Chinese robotics firms such as Unitree and Fourier are also fielding competitors.
Jointly organised by the Beijing municipal government and other bodies, the event highlights China’s commitment to developing its robotics sector—a strategic priority as the country faces an ageing population and slowing economic growth.
Over the past year, the industry has received more than $20 billion in subsidies, and Beijing is preparing to establish a 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion) fund to support AI and robotics startups.
The event follows a series of recent high-profile robotics showcases in China, including what was billed as the world’s first humanoid robot marathon, a major robotics conference, and the opening of retail outlets dedicated to humanoid machines. The marathon, however, drew criticism after several robots emitted smoke mid-race or failed to finish, sparking debate over the current limitations of the technology.
Despite such setbacks, many experts and industry players see these competitions as essential for advancing humanoid robots toward real-world use. Analysts at Morgan Stanley noted a sharp rise in public attendance at a recent robotics conference, interpreting it as a sign that “China, beyond just government leaders, has embraced the concept of embodied intelligence.” They argued that this enthusiasm could be key to maintaining the country’s edge in humanoid robotics by attracting talent, resources, and customers.
For Booster Robotics—whose machines are being used by Tsinghua University’s football team—sports like soccer serve as a proving ground for perception, decision-making, and control systems that could eventually be applied in homes and factories.
“Football provides a challenging environment that helps us refine our capabilities,” said Zhao Mingguo, Chief Scientist at Booster Robotics.
Source: Reuters
