World First: Over 500 Humanoid Robots Participated in the Three-day World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Friday

China's focus on robotics and AI.

Over 500 humanoid robots were participating in the three-day World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Image: Zhang Chenlin/Xinhua/IMAGO

The first-ever World Humanoid Robot Games began in Beijing, China. A total of 280 teams from 16 countries are competing in 26 events, which include soccer, boxing, sorting medicine, and clean-up tasks. The three-day competition began in Beijing, China, on Thursday evening, as the country focuses on robotics and AI.

Teams from the United States, Germany, and Brazil are among the 16 participating countries, alongside numerous Chinese teams.

Organizers emphasize that the games were designed to generate data and insights for real-world robot applications in factories, homes, and other settings. Furthermore, China's vast manufacturing ecosystem enables not only large-scale production but also rapid deployment and iteration through real-world data collection.

China has set a national plan to develop a world-class humanoid robotics industry and AI sector to become a global leader.

There were some glitches, from soccer fumbles to racing mishaps.

At one of the first events on Friday, it was reported that one of the fastest domestic champion Unitree's humanoid robots completed a 1,500-meter race in a time of 6:29:37, which is considerably slower than the current human record of 3:26:00.

One robot was the clear winner against its competitors but was significantly slower than the human record

Some robots experienced falls and limitations in movement and balance, demonstrating that the technology is still under development.

A human operator tries to keep up with a robot in the 1500m event

In soccer, during five-a-side football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in scrums or falling over en masse.

Better to have a robot fail at the kickboxing event than after investing millions for real-world applications, one participant said.

“LIVE: World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing”

— Source: Courtesy: REUTERS

Tickets to the humanoid games at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, range from 180 yuan (about €22, $25) to 580 yuan (about €69, $80).

Theo Edwards for YAME Digital