China launched the first Humanoid Robot World Games in Beijing on 14 August 2025, where 280 teams from 16 countries and more than 500 robots competed in 487 events across 26 categories. Over three days, the robots took part not only in sporting contests such as running, football and table tennis, but also in practical challenges including sorting medicines, materials handling and cleaning services.
Among the competitors were 192 university teams and 88 corporate teams, featuring Chinese robotics firms such as Unitree, Fourier Intelligence and Booster Robotics, alongside international participants from the United States, Germany and Brazil. According to Max Polter from the HTWK Robots football team at Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, the competition was not only about winning but also offered a valuable research opportunity to test new approaches, where failures could be instructive without the cost of full product development. Although falls and collisions were common — in one football match four robots collided and toppled over in a tangle, while in the 1,500-metre race a robot running at full speed suddenly collapsed — many were able to stand up autonomously, drawing applause from the crowd.
Organisers said the Games provided an important opportunity to gather data for developing robots for practical applications, such as factory work. Football matches, for example, helped improve coordination skills that could prove useful for assembly-line operations requiring multiple units to work together. China has made multi-billion-dollar investments in humanoid robotics amid an ageing population and intensifying competition with the United States over advanced technologies. In recent months, the country has hosted several high-profile robotics events — including the world’s first humanoid robot marathon in Beijing — held a robotics conference and opened retail shops dedicated to humanoid robots, while Morgan Stanley analysts reported heightened public interest and attendance at the recent conference.
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Story by Reuters
