Robots Showcase Speed, Strength and Utility in Second Global Competition

Beijing became the arena for the second World Humanoid Robot Games on August 26, where more than 2,000 humanoid robots representing over 100 designs competed in 51 events. The contest amassed thousands of operational hours and captured upwards of ten thousand motion‑capture datasets. Robots sprinted 100 metres in under ten seconds, vaulted 3.4 metres high, and performed functional tasks such as lifting goods in factories, organizing hotel rooms, picking items in supermarkets, and responding to simulated emergencies. Performance benchmarks were shattered: the 400‑metre run improved from 1:28.03 to 38.15 seconds in the top division, the 1,500‑metre race was reduced to 2:21.64, and the standing long jump leapt from 0.956 m to 3.40 m. Side events—including football, gymnastics, weightlifting, street and sports dance, martial arts, tug‑of‑war, throwing games, table tennis, and free‑fighting—demonstrated the robots' adaptability and entertained the crowd. Organizers noted that each medal marks progress toward integrating humanoid robots into everyday applications, with the competition serving as a realistic testing ground to drive future technological advances.