BEIJING: The World Humanoid Robot Games will return to Beijing this August. The event will be held from August 22 to August 26.
Organizers expect a major increase in participation this year. The number of robots will reportedly quadruple compared with the inaugural event. According to Beijing officials, 666 teams and 2,056 robots will participate. The competitors represent 16 countries from around the world.
The participating countries include the United States, Germany and Japan. Brazil will also send a national team to the international competition. The Brazilian team includes five RoboCup squads, according to officials. Their participation adds further international representation to the event.
China will have a particularly large presence at the games. A total of 641 domestic teams will participate this year. These teams will bring 1,975 robots to the competition. They represent 157 companies and around 200 universities and research institutions.
The lineup includes several leading Chinese robotics companies. It also features teams from 27 major Chinese universities. The World Humanoid Robot Games will feature more than 30 different events. Several new competitions have been added for this year.
New events include long jump, weightlifting, tug-of-war and table tennis. These challenges will test different aspects of humanoid robot performance. The competitions will assess motion control and structural design. They will also examine the performance of key hardware components.
The event will not focus only on traditional sports. Organizers have also introduced practical challenges based on real-world environments. Some competitions will take place in simulated factories and hotels. Others will recreate homes and logistics centres.
Robots will perform tasks such as assembly and housekeeping. They will also take part in emergency response exercises. Another challenge will involve sorting books in a library. These tasks aim to test robots in more complex environments.
Organizers believe the competitions could help improve practical robotics development. Some competition rules may eventually become technical standards.
Jiang Guangzhi said the games could help connect robotics research with industrial applications. He said advanced robots could eventually move from competitions into workplaces.
The goal is to improve what officials describe as “last-meter” robotic skills. These abilities could make robots more useful in real-world working environments. The World Humanoid Robot Games therefore serve as more than a sporting competition. They provide companies and researchers with opportunities to test new technologies.
The event also gives robotics developers a platform to compare their machines. International participation could encourage further cooperation and competition. The first World Humanoid Robot Games were held in August 2025. That event attracted 280 teams and more than 500 humanoid robots.
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This year’s edition represents a significant expansion from the inaugural competition. Thousands of robots are now expected to demonstrate their capabilities in Beijing.
