BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) — At the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, four robots dressed in 3D-printed terracotta warrior armor beat drums in synchrony, while five others at the front danced in seamless harmony alongside a live performer, creating a striking cross-millennial dialogue between technology and art.
“With their dexterous hands, these humanoid robots hold drumsticks and execute precise strikes perfectly in time with the music,” said Gao Qian, deputy head of the academic affairs office of Beijing Dance Academy (BDA).
The robot troupe won the first gold medal in the group dance event of the games on Friday. Their performance was inspired by the Terracotta Warriors built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time.
“We are confident in showcasing traditional Chinese culture by integrating dance moves into robots’ movements,” said Gao, noting that the humanoid robot technology is evolving at a rapid pace.
BDA and Optics Valley Dongzhi, the developer of the 1.7-meter-tall, 70-kg humanoid robots, worked together for three months prior to the performance. Initially, the basic settings of robots meant they could not meet the fluidity standards required. However, the problem was solved, as most dance moves were performed by a human dancer from BDA wearing a motion-capture suit and then programmed into the robots.
Lou Kaiqi, deputy general manager of Optics Valley Dongzhi, said the engineering team upgraded the robots’ hardware, such as motors and components, and optimized algorithms to ensure mobility, stability and coordination.
Lou explained that if two robots sense that their distance is too close, they can autonomously make minor adjustments to their direction of travel to avoid veering off course or colliding with each other.
“The performance places quite high demands on robots’ motion control capabilities. If we develop sufficient capacity in this area, the robotic technology can be extended to other industries and scenarios,” he added.
The World Humanoid Robot Games, the first of its kind globally, attracted 280 teams from 16 countries competing in 26 events from Friday through Sunday. Events spanned athletic challenges such as running, high jump and football, exhibition performance including dance and Wushu, and skills-based tasks like moving materials, sorting drugs and cleaning across different scenarios.
“We hope to truly advance humanoid robots from the laboratory into real-world applications in factories, hospitals, homes and other scenarios. This is a crucial step toward achieving large-scale production,” said Li Zhiqi from the Beijing municipal government’s counsellors’ office.
During the standing high jump event on Saturday, RobotEra L7, a bipedal humanoid robot, leapt using both straddle and bent-leg techniques, ultimately claiming the gold medal with a height of 95.641 cm. Among track and field events for humanoid robots, this competition requires exceptionally precise sensors and advanced dynamic control.
“The games serve as a platform to display our robot’s hardware performance and stable motion system,” said Shi Xuanyang, an engineer from RobotEra. Currently, the model can also perform a variety of general operational tasks, including logistics sorting, folding clothes and carrying goods.
Other technologies also found application during the games. An optical motion capture technology system developed by Noitom Limited features sub-millimeter positioning accuracy and millisecond-level latency. The company placed 16 cameras at the standing high jump event to track the spatial positions of robot competitors from multiple perspectives.
“The jump movement is too fast for referees to capture accurately with the naked eye, and currently, robots cannot jump over a bar like real athletes. Our system reproduces details of their movements and serves as an objective ‘referee’,” said Zhou Feng, vice president of Noitom Limited.
Beyond robots, Zhou said that Noitom has also supported Chinese athletes by converting complex motion data into scientific training plans. The company has served more than 20,000 clients in over 50 countries.
“Through the games, China has shown the world its strengths in humanoid robot design, industry chains and a large user base. Global AI developers can integrate their algorithms with China’s top-tier hardware to solve problems such as emergency rescue and household services,” said Zhou Changjiu, president of the RoboCup Asia-Pacific Confederation, one of the organizers of the games.
Elaborating on the significance of humanoid robots, Zhou Changjiu said that while a mechanical arm suffices for a production line, household tasks often require execution in a human-like manner.
“From the height of bookshelves to toys children play with, everything in a house is created in accordance with human needs and based on human height and body shape,” he said. “It is only a matter of time before humanoid robots enter households.” ■
(Zhang Yiyi, Xiong Run, Huang Rongrong and Dai Ruoxuan also contributed to the story.)
