Beijing turned into a futuristic sporting arena this week as the world’s first Humanoid Robot Games were staged at the National Speed Skating Oval, a venue originally built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo)
The event, which ran from August 15 to 17, drew global attention for its unusual contests where machines fought, sprinted, and even played football. (AP Photo)
The three-day spectacle brought together more than 500 humanoid robots representing 280 teams from 16 countries. They competed in 26 events designed to test agility, coordination, and decision-making. (AP Photo)
From martial arts duels to five-a-side football matches, the contests looked like scenes lifted straight from a science-fiction movie. (AP Photo)
Organisers described the Games as both entertainment and research, a stage to push the limits of robotics in real-world challenges. “These competitions help us assess how robots move, react, and adapt in dynamic environments,” one official said, noting that sports-like settings are perfect to measure balance, flexibility, and reflexes. (AP Photo)
The crowd’s favorites included the free combat rounds, where robots traded punches in a controlled ring, and a Wushu contest that recreated elements of traditional Chinese martial arts. (AP Photo)
Football matches featuring humanoid players on miniature pitches sparked laughter and applause, while the 100-metre dash on the final day showcased surprising bursts of robotic speed. (AP Photo)
The debut edition of the Humanoid Robot Games has been described as a blend of the Olympics and science expo, signalling how fast the field of robotics is advancing. What began as a futuristic fantasy, imagined in films like Robot and I, Robot, is inching closer to reality, one competition at a time. (AP Photo)
