China has been making significant strides in humanoid robotics, a field that is becoming increasingly important for the country’s artificial intelligence industry. The World Humanoid Robot Games, held in Beijing, showcased the country’s prowess in this area, with pint-sized robots competing in various events such as kickboxing, athletics, and football.
The games were part of China’s larger push to adopt “embodied AI,” a technology that combines human-like machines with artificial intelligence. This move reflects the country’s intensifying technological competition with the US, with Beijing aiming to become a world leader in this area.
Several Chinese firms, including UBTech and Unitree Robotics, are catching up with global players like Tesla and Boston Dynamics. China’s advantage lies in its cost-effective supply chains, which produce robots at a third of the cost of non-China suppliers. This has made humanoids more accessible to companies looking to invest in this technology.
However, there is still a long way to go before humanoid robots can be relied upon for daily tasks. Safely interacting with humans and navigating complex environments remain significant challenges. While China’s efforts have helped companies harvest data, it is still a bottleneck in the industry.
Despite these hurdles, China has already made significant progress in this area. Just 10 years ago, the country exported fewer than 375,000 cars a year; now it is the world’s largest automobile supplier. The government-backed games are part of a broader effort to promote humanoids and AI research, with a focus on practical applications such as elderly care and factory work.
As one researcher noted, “The vision of robot-assisted elderly care is not far away.” While there is still skepticism about the technology’s ability to handle everyday tasks, China’s push in this area has sparked excitement among many.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/15/china-world-humanoid-robot-games-advances-limitations