On Thursday, the World Humanoid Robotic Video games kicked off in Beijing, with two-legged droids competing in sports activities starting from desk tennis and soccer to bop, kickboxing and–most significantly–monitor and area. In a 1,500m race, the winner clocked six minutes, 34 seconds–a strong effort, however almost double the human world report of three:26.00.
Unitree wins the gold medal for the 1500m run on the World Humanoid Robotic Video games, setting a world report time of 6 minutes and 34 seconds.
The present males’s world report is 3:26. pic.twitter.com/q2VThR9n5E
— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) August 15, 2025
Based on South China Morning Submit, Chinese language robotics firm Unitree’s bot claimed each gold and bronze. Fellow Chinese language firm X-Humanoid’s Tien Kung Extremely robotic, the winner of April’s first robotic vs. human half-marathon in Beijing in two hours and 40 minutes, took second.
Some robots, nonetheless, struggled to complete the occasion; some didn’t even make it previous the beginning line. One robotic fell and misplaced an arm, and, in line with The Guardian, one other machine’s head flew off mid-race. One spectator known as the occasion “way more thrilling than seeing actual people,” which could not be shocking when opponents are actually falling to items.
The Video games, backed by the Chinese language authorities, have drawn 280 groups from 16 nations–together with Japan, Germany and the U.S.–with 500 robots competing throughout 26 sports activities. The machines are remotely operated by their groups primarily based out of universities and personal corporations.
The growing prevalence of robots in China is a results of an ageing inhabitants and a surge in demand for machines to offer help and look after the aged. The necessity for automated machines in work environments additionally spiked as a result of a shrinking working inhabitants. The nation’s robotics trade is reportedly projected to succeed in US$54.6 billion by 2030.
The 2025 Humanoid Robotic Video games are set to conclude on Sunday.
