What Happened
While the UK and EU hold international Eurovision Song Contest singing contests, and the U.S. conducts its annual gross-out Nathan’s food eating contest, over in Beijing, China, they’re battling for robot supremacy.
The first annual World Humanoid Robot Games gave engineers and robotics teams a shot at bragging rights. Their humanoid creations faced off in track events, football matches, and even skills tests—with real medals awarded at the end.
Standout Results
- Unitree Robotics (H1 humanoids) walked away with 11 medals, 4 of them gold.
- X-Humanoid (Beijing Innovation Centre) wasn’t far behind: 10 medals, 2 gold.
- Galbot took top honors in the Robot Skills Challenge.
- Tiangong Ultra snagged the 100-meter sprint title.
- Football wasn’t just for humans—Tsinghua University’s Hephaestus team won the 5-on-5 final, while China Agricultural University’s Mountain & Sea squad grabbed the 3-on-3 crown.
How It Played
Not every event was smooth. Some robots wobbled and tumbled; others shocked the crowd with surprisingly fluid movements.
And yes—there were cheers.
Why it matters
Most of today’s attention is on disembodied AI—chatbots, text generators, voice models. But these machines remind us that AI won’t stay locked in screens.
- Cities will eventually be full of embodied, humanoid robots.
- Watching them stumble and sprint now is a preview of the tech that will shape daily life later.
👉 Bottom line: This wasn’t just a spectacle—it was a first glimpse at the era of robot vs. robot competition.
Cover image via X-Humanoid
