China delights and amazes with its world championships for humanoid robots

A ceremony worthy of the opening of the Olympic Games, complete with a cauldron; a parade of humanoid machinesaround the track; music that encouraged viewers to watch the spectacle with curiosity; and, amid it all, China’s unwavering determination to demonstrate to the rest of the world its capacity for technological innovation.

This is how the first day of what China calls the 2nd World Games of Humanoid Robots was broadcast—an event held at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing. In addition to the parade—and even the oaths taken by the officiating bodies, in the Olympic style—the robots performed various demonstrations, such as taking penalty kicks with a wall on a soccer field, as well as tennis and high jump exhibitions. They also emulated other performances from past Olympic Games by performing spacewalks suspended from cables.

And this Sunday, one of these robots broke the 100-meter dash record, previously held by Usain Bolt at 9.58 seconds. It set the new mark at 9.39 seconds.

A total of 666 teams are participating, of which 641 are Chinese. Only 25 are foreign teams, hailing from 16 countries, particularly the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Brazil. Brazil is participating with a team composed of members from five champion teams of the RoboCup, the premier international robotic soccer tournament.

China also accounts for the largest number of humanoid robots in the competition, as 1,975 of the 2,056 robots competing are Chinese. The Games are divided into 30 competitive events, such as track and field, soccer, gymnastics, martial arts, table tennis, wrestling, and weightlifting.

In addition, there are another 21 events based on scenarios that simulate tasks applicable to real-world environments. These scenarios range from industrial production, homes, and hotels to supermarkets and electric vehicle charging stations, as well as responses to various types of emergencies. These events test capabilities such as environmental perception, autonomous decision-making, and object manipulation.

These Second World Games for Humanoid Robots will continue until next Wednesday, August 26, when the closing ceremony will also be held.