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Beijing hosted the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, drawing hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries to compete in diverse events, from athletics to practical tasks. China, aiming to lead the robotics industry, heavily invests in humanoid technology, showcasing its competence and raising public awareness.
The world's inaugural humanoid robot games commenced Friday in Beijing, featuring over 500 androids competing in events ranging from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu. Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries vied for gold at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The games encompassed traditional sports such as athletics and basketball, alongside practical tasks including medicine categorisation and cleaning. "I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans," enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP.
Human athletes may not be intimidated at this stage. During one of the initial events on Friday morning, five-aside football saw ten robots the size of seven-year-olds maneuver around the pitch, frequently becoming entangled in scrums or toppling over en masse.
However, in a 1500-metre race, domestic champion Unitree's humanoids maintained an impressive pace, easily surpassing their competitors. The fastest robot AFP observed completed the race in 6:29:37, considerably slower than the human men's world record of 3:26:00. In one incident, a mechanical racer crashed into a human operator. The robot remained upright, while the human was knocked to the ground but did not appear to be injured.
Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games marks the first to concentrate specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers stated.
The world's inaugural humanoid robot games commenced Friday in Beijing, featuring over 500 androids competing in events ranging from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu. Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries vied for gold at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The games encompassed traditional sports such as athletics and basketball, alongside practical tasks including medicine categorisation and cleaning. "I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans," enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP.
Human athletes may not be intimidated at this stage. During one of the initial events on Friday morning, five-aside football saw ten robots the size of seven-year-olds maneuver around the pitch, frequently becoming entangled in scrums or toppling over en masse.
However, in a 1500-metre race, domestic champion Unitree's humanoids maintained an impressive pace, easily surpassing their competitors. The fastest robot AFP observed completed the race in 6:29:37, considerably slower than the human men's world record of 3:26:00. In one incident, a mechanical racer crashed into a human operator. The robot remained upright, while the human was knocked to the ground but did not appear to be injured.
Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games marks the first to concentrate specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers stated.
