Robot athletes go for gold at the first ever World Humanoid Robot Games

Robot athletes In Beijing, China’s capital, they go first for gold as ever World Humanoid Robot Games started on Thursday.

Reuters reportsThe event, held at the Beijing National Speed ​​Skating Oval, features more than 500 humanoids. robots 280 teams from 16 countries including China, USA, Brazil and Germany. The teams come from both global universities and private robotics companies, including from China Unitree RoboticsNoetix Robotics and Fourier Intelligence.

Remotely controlled by their human teams, the robots will be tested for agility and skill to compete in 26 events such as soccer, martial arts, gymnastics, as well as running and the 100-meter hurdles. Robots must fit a long list of criteria including that they “must be independently developed, purchased or leased by participating teams”, they “must have a trunk, upper limbs and two legs”, and “must have their own power sources”. There are also event-specific restrictions, for example, robots competing in the long jump or high jump cannot use stretchers or flight devices.

The games are expanding with many robot sports events held in China this year, including the world’s first humanoid half marathon in April and robot kickboxing game in May.

Running…
Credit: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

…boxing…
Credit: Han Haidan / China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

…football.
Credit: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Unitree won the first gold of the event on Friday, with his speed Unitree H1 humanoid robots finishing the 1500 meter race in 6:34.

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Various media outlets are covering the World Humanoid Robot Games live including Reuters: and: South China Morning Postif you want to follow the action. The games run through Sunday and tickets are on sale to the general public.

It is quite something. seeing human teams run alongside their robot counterparts on the track, and watching robot soccer players shuffle across a small field and raise their arms in victory as their pointed human controllers buzz around the laptops on the sidelines. There are various falls and not a single drop of sweat is visible (at least on the athletes).

Oft.
Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

on Thursday the opening ceremony Also worth a watch, wearing robots Labubu lucky charms, a full robot troupe, tiny robots dancing alongside human children, a robot fashion show and panda robots performing martial arts.

Organizers of the World Humanoid Robot Games: Beijing Municipal People’s Government, China Central Radio and Television, World Robotics Cooperation Organization and Robocap Asia-Pacific International Council; said in an online statement that the aim of the event was “to build an international platform that integrates technological competition, economic promotion and international exchange”.

“By creating a competition and demonstration platform, the tournament aims to accelerate and expand the integration of robots into human life, contribute to economic and social progress, and promote the deep integration of science, technology, sports and culture,” the statement said.

Competitive robotics events are nothing new, but it’s the scale of the global humanoid robot games that marks a global PR opportunity for China amid the rapid expansion of robot manufacturing. compete with the US. National Development and Reform Commission of China announced a ¥1 trillion ($138 billion) investment in robotics in March over the next two decades. Plus the country It has increased the deployment of industrial robots by five percent by 2024and now owns the world’s largest market for robots.