From writing emails to self-driving cars, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by the grasp of their codes, churning out technological advancement unseen in a decade.
This time, it’s taking on sports, as companies and research institutions race to embrace embodied intelligence.
The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games concluded its three-day run in Beijing on Sunday, where 280 teams from 16 nations competed across 26 sporting games in a display of technical breakthrough and cross-disciplinary collaboration aimed at pushing the boundaries of AI and robotics.
Chinese robotics darlings clinch gold
Robots had the chance to compete in games like table tennis, basketball, and kickboxing, amongst other sports, much like their human counterparts do in the Olympics.
However, it was the Chinese teams that made the biggest waves across various games.
Chinese firm Unitree Robotics took home gold medals in the 1500m, 400m, 4x100m relay, and 100m hurdles using their H1 humanoid creations.
Unitree founder and chief executive officer Wang Xingxing dubbed their performance “meaningful”, considering this was their first humanoid, South China Morning Post reported.
Tsinghua University’s Hephaestus team, meanwhile, grabbed a title in the 5v5 football final, beating out Germany’s HTWK Robotics+Nao Devils 1-0.
The match was a showcase of a rare feat, as Hephaestus’ best ‘player’ executed a powerful long-range shot from distance to score, holding the lead until the end.
The tactic was based on an end-to-end algorithm and considered a big deal, especially since most player-robots score using gentle pushes near the net.
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Fierce rivalry but collective progress
Max Polter, a member of the HTWK Robotics+Nao Devils team, said the Games served as an avenue for both competition and collaboration.
“We publish our code after tournaments, so other teams can build on it and share back new insights. That’s the spirit of the game – fierce rivalry on the field, but collective progress off it,” Porter was quoted as saying by the Global Times.
Porter also praised the welcoming atmosphere in Beijing, citing traditions like slow clapping when a robot falls and holding shared dinners to spark ideas.
Events like these, he said, are transformed into a platform for global cooperation.
For Antonio Fernando, a professor at the University of Minho in Portugal and head of the Portuguese team, their participation in the Games was about science and not scoreboards.
They focused on strategy like passing, avoiding obstacles, and even training the goalkeeper to extend a leg and stay upright.
“It may not win games yet, but it’s valuable for research”, Fernando said.
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China eyes continuing robotics development
The event comes on the heels of China’s pivot to advanced technologies and robotics.
It has already held various high-profile robotics events this year, including the world’s first humanoid robot marathon in Beijing and a robot conference, according to a report from Reuters.
The nation has also opened retail stores for humanoid robots.
Indeed, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) said in a paper published on August 14 that China has put humanoids “in the centre of their national strategy”, with a strong focus on utilising them in the service sector, such as customer service, as well as in manufacturing.
Moreover, China is looking to create a global supply chain for key components.
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AI robotics is the future
Takayuki Ito, IFR president, said people are interested in futuristic humanoids capable of working in homes, businesses, and public spaces.
He noted a demand for “a quick, universal helper” that could maintain manufacturing and services.
But he also didn’t determine the “if and when” of a possible mass adoption of humanoids.
Instead, he said humanoids are not expected to replace the current line of robots in the future, but rather “complement and expand” the existing technology.
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