Xinhua Headlines: Humanoid robot games in China spotlight global tech innovation
*This clash of metal, chip and algorithm provided a public showcase and technical exchange platform for the emerging field of embodied intelligence represented by humanoid robots.
*The capabilities honed by humanoid robots in soccer scenarios, such as mobility, perception algorithms, positioning and navigation, as well as decision-making logic, all hold potential for real-world applications in both daily life and professional scenarios.
*The games also showed the global developers that by cooperating with China, they can integrate the country's top-tier hardware with their own algorithms to solve diverse challenges.
BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- At the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, the first of its kind globally, which wrapped up on Sunday in Beijing, the much-anticipated robot five-a-side soccer saw Tsinghua Hephaestus from China emerge victorious, defeating the joint team of Germany's HTWK Robots and Nao Devils to claim the championship. China Agricultural University's Mountain & Sea beat Sweaty from Germany in three-a-side soccer final.
The robot games kicked off on Thursday, featuring 280 teams from 16 countries competing across 26 events in categories such as competition, exhibition and scenario-based events. This clash of metal, chip and algorithm provided a public showcase and technical exchange platform for the emerging field of embodied intelligence represented by humanoid robots.
ULTIMATE TEST SCENARIO
The competition included events such as the 100m, 400m, 1500m, standing long jump, free gymnastics and soccer. The exhibition featured individual and group dance, as well as wushu, while scenario-based events simulated real-world settings such as factories, hospitals and hotels. Together, these challenges served as the ultimate test for humanoid robots.
In the center of the stadium's boxing ring, two G1 robots from Unitree faced off in a gripping match. Standing around 130 cm tall and weighing roughly 35 kg, they donned professional boxing gloves and helmets. Mirroring human fighters, the robots exchanged left and right hooks, executed side kicks and knee strikes, and nimbly dodged incoming blows. Even when knocked down, they rose unassisted and continued the fight.
Humanoid robots combat during a kickboxing match at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Deng Huasheng from Unitree said that in freestyle combat sports, hardware durability is just as crucial as software algorithms. "If the structure can't withstand impacts, it will fall apart. And if the balance algorithm fails, even a slight push can topple the robot."
In the five-a-side soccer final and three-a-side soccer final, the four teams fielded T1 robots from Beijing-based Booster Robotics. These robots can autonomously assess their surroundings and execute complex actions like trotting, tackling, shooting, and defending entirely on their own. Achieving this requires not only lightweight yet resilient hardware capable of withstanding impacts, but also sophisticated real-time perception, advanced motion control, cognitive decision-making, and seamless multi-agent coordination.
According to Zhao Weichen, vice president of Booster Robotics, robot soccer represents the most fundamental universal testing ground for technology. The capabilities honed by humanoid robots in soccer scenarios, such as mobility, perception algorithms, positioning and navigation, as well as decision-making logic, all hold potential for real-world applications in both daily life and professional scenarios.
YOUNG TALENTS
Alongside the robotic athletes, the human operators working behind the scenes also drew wide attention, particularly as most were university students and young engineers in their 20s and 30s, with some even still in high school.