Football match between humanoid robots kicked off in Beijing

As part of the competition, four teams competed in a series of three on three games, where the robots were able to operate autonomously using AI technologies. The winning team was THU Robotics from Tsinghua University, who defeated the Mountain Sea team from China Agricultural University 5-3.

Credit: South China Morning Post 

The match was a prelude to the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, which will be held in Beijing from 15-17 August, in what organisers described as a “milestone” in integrating humanoid robots into real-world settings, as well as showcase the latest advancements in robotics. 

The games will include 19 events across three main categories - athletic competitions, performance showcases and scenario-based challenges, all designed to test the agility, coordination and practical skills of the robots.

"There are many challenges for robot technology innovation, product upgrades and applications," said Jiang Guangzhi, Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology. "It is imperative to strengthen global exchanges and cooperation and enhance interaction and collaboration among research, industry and end-users. That's why we held the world humanoid robot half-marathon and will hold the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games." 

The development of humanoid robots have focused on developing them to perceive and interact with the world similar to how humans would - except backed by improved reasoning and AI technologies. 

A kickboxing competition and running a half marathon have also put humanoid robots to the ultimate test: can they perform as well as humans can? According to the results of the half marathon race - where the fastest robotic finisher was two hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds - robots are serious contenders.