No sweat: Robots expected to smash records at Beijing's humanoid games

These athletes don't sweat, don't complain, and they're about to smash world records. "Let the games begin" will ring out across Beijing's "Ice Ribbon" on August 22 for the second World Humanoid Robot Games.

Co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government and China Media Group, the event has expanded from three days to five, with sessions now running in the afternoon and evening.

By the numbers: A leap forward

This year's games feature 51 events and 1,301 matches across five days — nearly double the 26 events and 487 matches of the inaugural edition. 

A total of 666 teams and 2,056 robots from 16 countries across six continents are competing, a 138% increase in teams and a fourfold increase in robots.

The United States, Germany, Japan, and other robotics powerhouses are fielding teams, while Brazil has assembled a squad of five Robot World Cup champions. 

Domestically, 157 enterprises, 641 teams, and 1,975 robots are taking part, with all major industry players present. 

Teams from 27 Chinese universities are competing, spanning 30 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and special administrative regions.

What's new: From show to real-world readiness

The revamped games now feature 30 competitive events and 21 scenario-based events — up from just six scenario events last year. 

Scenario events simulate nine real-world environments: households, hotels, industrial settings, emergency rescue, logistics, libraries, retail, office services, and vehicle charging.

Two new challenges are pushing the boundaries of what robots can do in practical settings:

The Dexterous Hand Challenge test precision across tool assembly, powder weighing, block stacking, nail driving, bottle opening, unboxing, tweezer pick-up, and cable connection. Micro-distance vision, motion planning, force control precision, and operational accuracy all come into play.

The "Integrated Five" Challenge requires robots to perform dexterous operations, stable object transfer, and heavy lifting while running a 100-meter dash.

Rules getting tougher

To raise the bar, time limits have been cut sharply: the 100-meter race from three minutes to one; the 400-meter from 15 minutes to five; and the 1,500-meter from 40 minutes to 15.

Autonomy requirements are stricter too: all track events and competitive events must be fully autonomous — no remote control — except for the 100-meter and 400-meter obstacle races. 

In scenario events, fully autonomous completion earns a weight coefficient of 1.0, while remote-controlled completion is capped at 0.5.

One notable rule change: in robot soccer, goals only count if at least two teammates have touched the ball during the build-up — a deliberate move to discourage one-robot solo performances and encourage team coordination. 

The rule tests communication and collaboration, not just individual hardware prowess.

What to watch

Gold medals are up for grabs across all nine sessions, with 12 decided on on August 23, second only to the closing day. 

The opening ceremony evening features a 7v7 soccer exhibition match plus 400-meter and 100-meter preliminaries. 

Freestyle combat finals and a 5v5 soccer final come before the closing.

Track records are expected to tumble. In April a humanoid robot finished a half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the human world record. 

Robot soccer players have also improved, now able to dribble, power-shot, and dive to save.

Freestyle combat runs across eight sessions in three weight classes: 40kg, 58kg, and 80kg — all significantly more competitive than last year. A newly added weightlifting event will award lightweight and heavyweight golds on August 24.

Dance events have grown from 29 teams to 108, with robots competing in street dance, ballroom, and cheerleading.

This year's event features 223 referees — 100 more than last year — including 28 international-level, 75 national-level, and 120 first-tier officials. An arbitration committee has been strengthened to handle disputes promptly.