Humanoids break records at Beijing Robot Games - Yahoo Tech
For 72-year-old spectator Hou Yali, the weekend's robot records left her wanting to watch the machines go against humans. "We'll be able to see more clearly whether machines can surpass humans," said Hou, who is retired and lives in Beijing.
Key takeaways
- China remains the global leader in humanoid robotics, accounting for roughly 90 percent of shipments last year and dominating the high‑profile World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, where a Beijing‑based “Tiangong Ultra” model sprinted 100 metres in 9.39 seconds—faster than Usain Bolt’s record—and shattered the 400‑metre record with a time of about 38.15 seconds.
- The Games, featuring over 2,000 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries, are being used as a showcase for both athletic feats and emerging applications in factories, homes and even potential military roles; a developer at the event told CBS News that fully autonomous humanoid soldiers could appear within five to ten years.
- Meanwhile, Silicon Valley’s Actuate conference highlighted a hardware shortage exacerbated by recent FCC restrictions on foreign‑made advanced robotic devices, prompting U.S. manufacturers to call for domestic supply chains while investors poured a record $15 billion into robotics globally in 2025 and another $18.8 billion so far in 2026.
- Analysts project the worldwide humanoid market could be worth $7.5 trillion by 2050, with China’s domestic market expected to reach $2.2 billion this year and grow at least 60 percent into 2027 as mass production ramps up.
- Despite the excitement, many experts caution that true general‑purpose, human‑like robots remain years away and that commercial viability will hinge on scaling hardware and delivering practical, non‑spectacle use cases.
For 72-year-old spectator Hou Yali, the weekend's robot records left her wanting to watch the machines go against humans.
"We'll be able to see more clearly whether machines can surpass humans," said Hou, who is retired and lives in Beijing.
"Right now, this is just running, just a competition of speed. It's not a test of intelligence, or hiring someone to do household tasks or act as live-in help," she said.
Hou, who pays aides to clean her home and make meals for her weekly, said she would like to see robots do those tasks.
"With the development of our country's economy, people have more money in their pockets, and they may decide to use robots," she said.
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The white and headless humanoid called Tiangong Ultra finished the sprint in 9.39 seconds according to state broadcaster CCTV -- surpassing Bolt's best of 9.58 seconds, set in 2009.
On Sunday, robot-makers scored another win, with the same humanoid model shattering the 400-metre world record by nearly five seconds.
Developed by a local government-backed research centre in Beijing, it finished in 38.16 seconds -- with its time later revised to 38.15.
In one 400-metre heat, a white-shelled robot thrashed its arms side to side as it propelled itself around the track, leaning dangerously forward as fans wondered out loud if it would fall.
The robot wobbled as it stormed toward the finish but managed to remain upright. Fans were just as pleased to watch the robo-athletes flop, as multiple robotic runners failed to start.
Others made their way around the track at the pace of a brisk walk or crumbled immediately after the gun start.
Children and their parents giggled as a toddler-sized robot kicked a football off the pitch over knee-high barricades.
- 'It's not a test of intelligence'-
Each clunky, barely defended goal earned the waddling humanoids roars of applause from the stands.
Spectators erupted into laughter as a humanoid in a boxing ring stumbled off to the side and folded over the ropes where it stayed motionless until humans lifted it away.
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