New Delhi: China is set to host the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing from 22 to 26 August, bringing together 2,056 robots and 666 teams to showcase humanoid robots’ capabilities and potential commercial applications.
Teams from 16 countries and regions across six continents will participate in the five-day event.
The games will be divided into two main categories: competitive sports and real-world tasks, with a total of 30 competitive sporting events and 20 work-related challenges.
From football to firefighting
The first edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games was held in Beijing last year, when 280 teams competed using more than 500 humanoid robots across 26 events, including boxing, cleaning and sorting tasks.
This year’s competitions will include football, athletics, dance and table tennis, along with scenario-based events designed to test robots in real-world tasks such as industrial work, firefighting and rescue operations.
Jiang Guangzhi, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, had earlier said the competition had added new events this year.
“Scenario-based events will no longer be held in simulated venues but in real-world settings such as factories, hotels and model homes, pushing humanoid robots from demonstration tools toward practical productivity,” Jiang said.
The event comes as competition between China and the US intensifies in the race to develop advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics.
Robots practice ahead of games
Meanwhile, videos of humanoid robots practicing ahead of the Games have drawn reactions on social media, with users sharing clips of robots running, playing sports and attempting various tasks.
“China’s robot games are refreshingly raw and even hilarious. A contrast with the choreographed millimeter-perfection of typical state-run events,” one user wrote on X.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)