The Second World Humanoid Robot Games will open on August 22 at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, featuring 1,301 matches across 51 events. The five-day competition brings together 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries for high-intensity athletic and real-world scenario challenges.
Beijing is preparing to host the world’s most advanced mechanical athletes as the Second World Humanoid Robot Games get underway.
The scale of the competition has expanded dramatically since its inaugural run. Organizers confirmed that the tournament features 666 registered teams fielding 2,056 robots, marking a 138 percent increase in total teams and quadrupling the total number of competing machines from the previous year. International delegations span six continents and 16 countries, including entries from the United States, Germany, Japan, and Brazil—the latter sending a unified national team formed by five separate Robot Soccer World Cup champion squads.
Expanded Event Lineup and Rigorous Athletic Standards
The competitive schedule has grown from 26 events during the inaugural tournament to 51 distinct disciplines this year, comprising 30 athletic contests and 21 scenario-based challenges. To accommodate the massive influx of matches, the schedule expands from three days to five, utilizing nine evening and afternoon competition blocks designed to maximize medal-round visibility for spectators.
Event officials have significantly tightened performance thresholds across all track and field disciplines. The 100-meter sprint completion time has been slashed from three minutes down to one minute, while the 400-meter requirement drops from 15 minutes to five, and the 1,500-meter limit is compressed from 40 minutes down to 15 minutes. Furthermore, autonomy standards are strictly enforced; outside of the 100-meter and 400-meter obstacle races, every track and field event must be completed entirely autonomously without human remote control.
Technical Upgrades in Combat, Soccer, and Weightlifting
The physical capabilities of the competing robots have evolved past basic locomotion. Officials noted that robotic soccer players now demonstrate advanced coordination, executing dynamic dribbling, powerful long-range volleys, and diving saves. The tournament introduces new 3V3 U19 soccer categories alongside traditional 5V5 large and medium brackets.
Combat and strength events have also been added to test hardware limits. Free-sparring matches span three weight classes—40 kilograms, 58 kilograms, and 80 kilograms—across eight competitive blocks. In addition, new weightlifting and high-jump events push internal joint motors and gearboxes to their mechanical boundaries.
Last year, robots only had two gaits: powerful kicking and normal walking/running. This year, a close-range dribbling action has been added, allowing the robot to chase after the ball and kick it again after the first shot. Exhibition observation via Sina News
Industrial Scenarios and Precision Dexterity Challenges
Beyond traditional sports, the scenario-based competitions replicate real-world environments across nine distinct sectors, including domestic tasks, hotel hospitality, logistics, and emergency rescue operations. Rather than competing as isolated units, robots now participate in direct head-to-head duels involving two to four machines simultaneously.
A major focal point of the technical showcase is the newly established specialized dexterous hand competition. Designed to overcome industrial bottlenecks in fine motor skills, this event features eight precision micro-manipulation tasks, such as operating power tools and sorting small components with tweezers. The competition tests machine vision, path planning, and force-control feedback under strict industrial tolerances.
Infrastructure, Judging, and Ticket Sales
To manage the complex telemetry of over two thousand active machines, the state asset management administration and organizing committee have deployed a centralized embodiment intelligence management platform. Operating across encrypted communication links, the system continuously monitors internal joint temperatures, operational states, and battery levels for every registered machine in real time.
Officiating standards match the technical expansion, with 223 certified officials selected for the games—an increase of 100 referees over the inaugural event. This group includes 28 international-level officials and 75 national-level judges drawn from prominent martial arts and sports dance organizations.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, the “Ice Ribbon” venue will be converted into a permanent training and research base for participating robotics teams. Public ticketing for the regular competition days is currently available through ticketing platforms, with daily admission starting at 98 RMB and opening and closing ceremony tickets priced from 128 RMB.
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