The second World Humanoid Robot Games wrapped this week in Beijing, where robots broke records and broke down in equal measure. A robot made by smartphone maker Honor lost a leg mid-sprint, others tripped in a flurry of sparks, one finisher ran into a crash mat and burst into flames, and a weightlifting robot toppled into the judges' table - and this year's event was already far bigger than the inaugural games last year.
🔍 The Backstory
Both editions of the games were staged in Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, a former Olympic venue, consistent with China's habit of turning robots into public spectacle from Spring Festival Gala dances to tech event demos. Last year's records were paltry by comparison - a 21.50-second 100-metre sprint and a 0.95-metre standing high jump - showing how fast the field is improving, while still failing in dramatic ways.
🎯 Why It Matters
Humanoid robots are a centrepiece of the US-China tech race and Chinese industrial policy. Watching these machines succeed and spectacularly fail in public offers a rare honest look at how mature - and how far from ready - the technology really is as it heads toward homes and workplaces.
The second World Humanoid Robot Games wrapped this week in Beijing, where robots broke records and broke down in equal measure. A robot made by smartphone maker Honor lost a leg mid-sprint, others tripped in a flurry of sparks, one finisher ran into a crash mat and burst into flames, and a weightlifting robot toppled into the judges' table - and this year's event was already far bigger than the inaugural games last year.
Both editions of the games were staged in Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, a former Olympic venue, consistent with China's habit of turning robots into public spectacle from Spring Festival Gala dances to tech event demos. Last year's records were paltry by comparison - a 21.50-second 100-metre sprint and a 0.95-metre standing high jump - showing how fast the field is improving, while still failing in dramatic ways.
Humanoid robots are a centrepiece of the US-China tech race and Chinese industrial policy. Watching these machines succeed and spectacularly fail in public offers a rare honest look at how mature - and how far from ready - the technology really is as it heads toward homes and workplaces.