Human-machine symbiosis on full display at Beijing games

The world's first humanoid robot games opened in Beijing on Thursday, offering a glimpse into what organizers describe as a "new era of human-machine symbiosis".

The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games began on Thursday evening at the National Speed Skating Oval, known locally as the Ice Ribbon, and will run until Sunday. About 280 teams from 16 countries and regions, bringing together more than 500 robots, are competing in 26 events across 538 matches.

The opening ceremony featured a cultural performance combining Chinese opera, martial arts and robotics, with 60 robots dressed in traditional costumes moving in sync with acrobatic performers.

Stefan Hensel, supervisor of Germany's Sweaty team, praised the Beijing event as "a nice and open community and an Olympic Games for the industry".

"During the games if you have a problem, everybody is ready to help you, and thus the event is set to boost the industry's progress, in particular the software," said Hensel, whose team is a four-time runner-up at the international RoboCup humanoid soccer competition.

Preliminary rounds began on Monday.

Some viewers online said the humanoid soccer matches lacked excitement, as the robots moved stiffly and made clumsy decisions on the pitch.

Lyu Ming, an after-sales manager at Booster Robotics, a Beijing-based company providing the robots for the soccer match during the event, explained that in robot sports, the aim was not entertainment but advancing control, perception and decision-making.

"The awkward movements, algorithm optimization and lessons from failure are all incremental steps as humanoid robots evolve from the lab to commercial use," he said.

Beijing officials said the capital is positioning itself as a national hub for robotics innovation. Jiang Guangzhi, head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, said the city has supported the development of 200 innovative robotic products across 12 categories. These innovative products have been tested and applied in 134 scenarios across 11 industries.

"Through the implementation of a demonstration project featuring hundreds of application scenarios, we are leveraging Beijing's vast and diverse urban environment to enhance scenario innovation and strengthen the connection between supply and demand."

He added that a robot-themed park is planned, featuring applications for ecological monitoring, disinfection, water cleaning and street sweeping.

Industry leaders said continued investment and collaboration are vital if humanoid robotics is to progress beyond research prototypes.

Wang Xingxing, CEO of Unitree Robotics, which is reported to hold an estimated 60 to 70 percent share of the global quadruped robot market, said that investment in the embodied robotics industry remained stable, but further breakthroughs were still needed.

"Achieving humanlike capabilities in robots could take two to three years of technological advancements, or up to five at a slower pace," he said at the 2025 World Robot Conference, which was held in Beijing recently, adding that the robotics boom "is unlikely to last beyond a decade".

About half of Unitree's revenue comes from overseas markets, and Wang said global collaboration was key to the company's strategy.