Robots move from showcases to real-world partners at World Robot Conference

From providing services to handling hazardous industrial tasks, robots are moving closer to becoming practical human partners in everyday life. The World Robot Conference (WRC) 2026 opened in Beijing on Wednesday and is showcasing how advances in the industry are expanding robots' real-world applications.

Under the theme "Human-Robot Symbiosis, Production-Demand Convergence," the five-day event features global achievements, new product launches and cutting-edge technologies in robotics, with a main forum, exhibitions and more than 70 activities supported by 30 international organizations. More than 300 companies are taking part, a 69% increase from last year. Over 3,000 exhibits, including more than 300 debut products, are expected to be displayed, highlighting the rapid growth and vitality of China's robotics industry.

The WRC sets up four exhibition areas, bringing together humanoid robot manufacturers across the supply chain, demonstrating how robots are being applied in multiple scenarios, including manufacturing, catering and retail, healthcare and elderly care, and emergency rescue.

For the first time, the event has also introduced a consumption street where visitors can experience robot-powered services, food and creative products, some once confined to exhibitions.

New levels of intelligence

With advances in perception and decision-making abilities, this year's robots are becoming more adaptive and collaborative.

During an air hockey challenge, a robot used visual recognition and reinforcement learning to track the puck, predict its movement, and react quickly. Through continuous learning, the system improves its accuracy and performance over time.

The 1.35-meter-tall, 39-kilogram Tiangong Omni humanoid robot made its debut at the event, demonstrating its abilities to climb plum blossom piles and stairs, crawl and print documents, showing advanced motion control, environmental adaptability and task execution capabilities.

A robot volunteer distributing candies also impressed visitors with its precision. It can deftly pick up candies and hand them to people stably. When the visitors suddenly moved their hands away or play tricks, the robot can adjust its movement in real time until it completes the task.

Tackling high-risk missions

Robots are also entering dangerous and demanding environments.

A newly unveiled 4-meter-tall humanoid robot combines digital hydraulic technology and electric motors, enabling it to handle tasks ranging from kilogram-level to thousand-tonne-level loads. The giant robot is designed for demanding tasks such as nuclear power maintenance, deep-sea operations and heavy-load transportation.

Robotic dogs are also expected to show their capabilities in demanding missions. In dangerous mining environments, these robotic dogs act as intelligent safety assistants. Equipped with LiDAR, infrared cameras and gas sensors, they can enter hazardous areas that are difficult for humans to access, to collect multidimensional environmental data and do comprehensive processing, providing reliable data base for safety decisions.

"For example, in a gob area where collapses may occur, robotic dogs can enter and capture images, transmit three-dimensional data, and create models of the space," said exhibitor Zhang Yong, adding that these robots can also automatically deploy communication nodes in areas without network coverage to relay mobile communication.