China Launches World Humanoid Robot Games with 280 Teams from 16 Countries

China has kicked off the three-day World Humanoid Robot Games on Friday, showcasing its advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics. The event brought together 280 teams from 16 countries, including Brazil, the United States, and Germany.

Robots competed in various activities such as table tennis, track, and field events, highlighting their agility, precision, and learning capabilities.

Among the participants, 192 representatives came from universities while 88 were from private enterprises, including leading companies like Fourier Intelligence and Unitree Robotics.

All participating teams made use of Chinese-manufactured components, including those provided by Boosters Robotics.

Although tickets for the games ranged between 128 to 580 yuan, spectators witnessed plenty of comic moments as humanoid robots repeatedly crashed into each other during football matches, toppled over on the pitch, and even collapsed mid-sprint during running events—a reminder of the technological challenges that still remain.

Speaking about the competition, Max Polter, a member of the HTWK Robots Football Team from Germany and affiliated with Leipzig University of Applied Sciences, said: “You can test a lot of interesting new and exciting approaches in this contest. If we try something and it doesn’t work, we lose the game.

“That’s sad but it is better than investing a lot of money into a product which failed.”