A humanoid robot running in the world humanoid robot games competition. Image credit: Guardian News via YouTube

Artificial intelligence (AI) alone is growing rapidly, and new ways of applying and integrating the technology into daily life continue to surprise users. Alongside this technology, humanoid robots are also advancing, bringing more opportunities and becoming so intelligent that global games are now being organized for them in China. So, let’s look at the highlights from this event that stunned the world.

Just Like Human Competitions

For the first time in the world, humanoid robot games took place, marking another page in history and another step forward in technological breakthroughs and ongoing development. The competitions held in China were undoubtedly different, but they also resembled human contests, where robots played football, table tennis, ran, danced, or fell down.

More than 500 humanoid robots from 280 teams representing 16 countries took part in the games, competing against each other over three days in 26 events – from football to sorting medicines.

Moment of competition: Image credit: Zhang Chenlin/Xinhua/IMAGO via DW

While for spectators it was a unique form of entertainment and an opportunity to watch unusual “battles,” team representatives admitted that they did not come to China just to win – an important element of these competitions is research and analysis. The World Humanoid Robot Games allow engineers to observe the progress of each robot, evaluate successful and unsuccessful solutions, and use the results to further improve robotics. After all, sports are the best way to test robots’ decision-making abilities, motor skills, and control systems.

China was not chosen by accident – reports indicate that this is part of the country’s broader plan to become a global leader in humanoid robotics. These ambitions align with the government’s national strategy to develop a world-class humanoid industry by 2027.

Which Moments Stood Out the Most From the World Humanoid Robot Games?

There were many competitions and many robots taking part. Below we highlight several cases and situations that caught the attention of the media and spectators during the World Humanoid Robot Games.

Human Abilities are not yet Surpassed

Overall, one clear and widely understood observation emerged – humanoid robots are very close to imitating humans, but they do not yet surpass human abilities. Many times, during the competitions, robots were seen bumping into each other or falling over.

It was also noted that one of the fastest robots completed the 1500-meter run in 6:29:37, which is far slower than the current human record of 3:26:00.

Still, this is considered a significant achievement in the robotics industry, with all the glory going to the Unitree robot H1, which achieved the fastest time in this event.

Unitree robots shone overall in these games and are even considered major competitors to Tesla.

Advanced 5G Solutions

Another highlight of the World Humanoid Robot Games was the solution provided by China Unicom Beijing, which equipped the competing robots with a smart 5G-A network, creating a unique experience for spectators as well. This network is distinguished by high data transfer capacity, reliability, and security.

It was reported that the network increased the maximum perceived upload and download speeds for users to 4 Gbps and 11.2 Gbps, respectively. Experts predict that 5G-A networks hold great promise in the robotics industry, as they enable low-latency remote control.

Hopeful Prospects

Following these games and their results, engineers and technology companies see enormous potential for further development. One representative of a participating robot even claimed that by 2050, such devices could replace football star Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to him, the reason is simple – these machines are easier to train.

Final Thoughts

Global events such as the World Humanoid Robot Games show that somewhere behind factory and laboratory walls, engineers, AI specialists, and other experts are constantly improving the features of humanoid robots – improvements we are already witnessing during such competitions.

At the same time, this demonstrates the future outlook, which clearly indicates that progress is moving at an incredible speed, and the capabilities of robots are only set to expand further.

If you are interested in this topic, we suggest you check our articles:

• Where could the next World Humanoid Robot Games be held?
• List of Biggest Manufacturers for Humanoid Robots
• Humanoid Robots Arrive – Elon Musk’s Vision for The Near Future

Sources: BBC, CNBC, DW, SCPM, The Fast Mode