Key Highlights
- The first World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off on August 15
- Hosted in Beijing, the event showcased AI and robotics prowess with 280 teams from 16 countries
- The competition took place in sports such as boxing, track and field, table tennis and other challenges
China successfully completed a three day long, first of its kind World Humanoid Robot Games. The aim of the event was to host friendly competition matches as well as showcase the advancement in both AI and robotics.
“We come here to play and to win. But we are also interested in research…You can test a lot of interesting new and exciting approaches in this contest.”
– Max Polter, member of HTWK Robots football team from Germany
According to Reuters, a total of 280 teams participated in the event, hailing from 16 different countries, including the United States, Germany and Brazil. The matches bore witness to robots crashing over one other, collapsing during sprinting and more.
Quick Recap of the World’s First Humanoid Robot Games
With over 500 humanoid robots competing, the games featured most of the popular sports as well as practical tasks. Competitions included soccer, running (100m, 400m and 1500m), track and field (hurdles), boxing, martial arts, table tennis and more.
Other skill based events included medicine sorting, cleaning and handling materials. The Chinese Robotics company, Unitree Robotics, (which is also responsible for Amazon’s upcoming humanoid delivery project), secured the first place, winning gold medals in the 400 meter, 1500 meter and 4×100 meter relay races. In other highlights, the Tiangong Ultra robot won the 100 meter sprint in just 21.50 seconds.
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Similarly, other sports too revealed how humanoids can mimic and perform precise and have their fall at times. During the football and track events, humanoids were seen crashing onto each other or collapsing in the middle of the track, requiring human intervention to get up and continue. Events like boxing felt like a toned down version of Real-Steel movie.
Takeaway from the Robot Games
The World Humanoid Robot Games reveals how humanoids and robots are no longer just limited to labs, and are now transitioning to a practical tool for industries. Moreover, practical based events such as handling and sorting medicines proved how they can be further used in logistics or healthcare industries.
The sporting events such as the races and football matches bore eyewitness to how far the technology has come. And while there were moments where robots didn’t push
When will be the next World Humanoid Robot Games?
During the closing ceremony of the event, it was announced that the next World Humanoid Robot Games will take place in August 2026. According to a Chinese news publication, the event will be continue to be co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government and China Central Radio and Television.
Similar to Olympics, the event also serves as a public indicator of a country’s progress in the field of AI and robotics. With major players like the U.S., Germany, and Japan already participating, it is likely that both from economic and strategical point of views, such events would determine who is ahead in the race for technology supremacy.
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