The second World Humanoid Robot Games will open next Saturday at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, with 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries competing, four times the number from the inaugural event.
The tournament features 1,301 matches across 51 events, including competitive and scenario-based categories. Martial arts and dance have been added to the competitive events, while scenario-based events have expanded from 6 to 21, covering nine real-world settings including households, hotels, industry and emergency rescue. Robots will compete in pairs or groups of four, up from solo performances.
Competition standards have been raised significantly. The 100-metre race time limit has been cut from three minutes to one minute, and the 1,500-metre from 40 minutes to 15 minutes. All track and competitive events except the 100-metre and 400-metre obstacle races must be completed fully autonomously.
Teams from the US, Germany, Japan and Brazil are among the participants. Chinese entries include 1,975 robots from 641 teams representing 157 companies and 27 universities.