Humanoid robots smash each other’s circuits at inaugural Beijing contest

These advanced Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots have become popular in China over the past few months

Rowan Dunne

Published

11 hours ago

Chinese robots slugged it out in the nation’s capital city last week as part of a first-of-its-kind competition.

The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games was held from Aug. 14 to 17. It featured more than 500 human-shaped robotic creations from 16 countries.

In addition to boxing and kickboxing, they competed in sports such as soccer, Kung fu, track and field, table tennis and even tried their luck at obstacles courses. Automated creations also engaged in contests that involved sorting medicines and cleaning fake hotel rooms. They apparently struggled most at opening doors, not picking up trash.

Spectators particularly enjoyed watching them fail in humorous fashion.

For instance, four robots crashed into each other during one of the soccer matches and got stuck in a pile on the field. Another had to drop out of the 1,500-metre dash because its head flew off while running down the track.

“Expected: precision. Reality: glorious chaos,” commented one observer. “Engineers scrambled. Spectators laughed. Robots rebooted and carried on.”

Despite their quirks, flaws and blunders, one boxing coach said he enjoyed working with them for a particular reason.

“They’re easier to coach,” said former Olympic competitor Li Yang. “Humans are emotional.”

Fighting robots have become increasingly popular in China. The world’s first kickboxing tournament event solely featuring humanoid bots took place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province at the end of May. A couple others duked it out at this year’s World AI Conference in Shanghai too, held in late July.

Some have called this month’s event a marketing ploy for China’s robotics sector. The country has the most advanced capabilities in the industry with Japan and South Korea trailing behind it. China also wants to promote robotics technology because of its ageing population and shrinking workforce.

Unitree wins the gold medal for the 1500m run at the World Humanoid Robot Games, setting a world record time of 6 minutes and 34 seconds.

The current men's world record is 3:26. pic.twitter.com/q2VThR9n5E

— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) August 15, 2025

Event proceeded Beijing’s World Robot Conference

Between Aug. 8 to 12, China hosted another prominent robotics event at the Beiren Yichuang International Convention and Exhibition Center in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.

It featured over 200 robotics companies from around the globe showcasing their latest artificial intelligence technology and automation achievements.

Inventions on display included robotic lawnmowers, rescue-purpose automatons, dog-style robots performing back flips, automated musicians, dancers and wine-pouring androids. Also, logistics robots utilized for warehouse automation purposes.

JD.com Inc (NASDAQ: JD), ABB Ltd (OTCMKTS: ABBNY) (ETR: ABJ) and Estun Automation Co Ltd (SHE: 002747) were some of the leading companies showcasing their robotics tech at the conference.

China produced 556,000 industrial robots last year and currently accounts for two thirds of the world’s robotics patent applications.

We've all seen bees flying, and maybe robot bees in sci-fi movies. But at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing, you might just witness a real robotic bee in action! pic.twitter.com/woZys7Egdx

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) August 9, 2025