Humanoid robots are stealing the spotlight at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing, where a record 50 manufacturers are unveiling their latest full-body designs.
Running from Aug 8 to 12 in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, the 2025 edition of the conference is held under the theme "Making Robots Smarter, Making Embodied Agents More Intelligent".
The five-day conference features forums, exhibitions, competitions and networking events, with about 200 leading robotics companies from around the world presenting over 1,500 exhibits.
One of the exhibitors is UBTECH, a Chinese manufacturer of robots based in Shenzhen. Its droids are already on the job at BYD and Zeekr plants, sorting parts, hauling loads and swapping their own batteries.
At the event, a crowd gathered to observe a demonstration of UBTECH's latest industrial humanoid robot, the Walker S2, the world's first humanoid robot capable of autonomous battery swapping. This means that the robot can operate continuously without interrupting industrial operations.
"Our new generation of AI worker, the Walker S2, can autonomously swap batteries within three minutes. Through the terminal in its smart brain center, it can drive itself to replace its battery when it's running low. After the three-minute battery swap, it quickly returns to its workstation, enabling 24/7 operation inside the factory, which we refer to as new quality productive forces that never stop," said Tan Min, UBTECH's chief brand officer.
Another Chinese robotics company, Magic Atom, showcased a creative "dance troupe," featuring bipedal humanoid robots and quadrupedal robotic dogs performing together, delighting audiences with a choreographed stage show.
"The full-sized general-purpose humanoid robot is designed to closely resemble a human adult in height and weight. It can turn 42 degrees in movement and is equipped with a matrix brain. Ninety percent of its core components are developed in-house. We began mass production at the end of April, and currently, we have around 100 to 200 customers working with us to advance the practical application of the robot," said Wu Changzheng, president of Magic Atom, the robotics startup.
2025 World Robot Conference features latest innovations in humanoid robot development
Any escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran would bring catastrophic results for regional security and beyond, said the spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari, on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference, Ansari urged both sides to exercise restraint and find diplomatic solutions to settle differences.
"We know that any escalation of the sort that you describe would have catastrophic results in the region and beyond. And therefore, we want to avoid that as much as possible. The talks continue, our calls continue. There is no specific effort that I can point to right now, but we are involved in talking to all parties, obviously, with our neighbors and our partners in the region to find a diplomatic solution," Ansari said.
Ansari stated that Qatar has been working to mediate the rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Qatar maintains that the only viable way to resolve the issue is through dialogue, specifically a comprehensive and inclusive process that fully considers the concerns of countries in the region and relevant international parties, he said.
He emphasized that the dialogues should include all issues, including the nuclear issue, in the discussion.
Qatar will continue to maintain close communication with its regional partners and is committed to promoting a solution to the issue through diplomatic means, Ansari said.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Tuesday that Russia strongly condemns external interference in Iran's internal affairs, and the U.S. threat to launch a military strike against Iran are "categorically unacceptable."
Zakharova stated that Iran has suffered from illegal Western sanctions for many years, hindering national development and creating economic and social problems affecting ordinary citizens. Foreign forces hostile to Iran are attempting to exploit the escalating tensions within Iranian society to destabilize the Iranian regime.
The illegal sanctions imposed by the West have been impeding Iran's development for many years, which also triggers economic and social problems that impact ordinary Iranians, Zakharova noted.
Russia also firmly rejects the attempts to blackmail Iran's foreign partners through increasing trade tariffs, she said.
Any escalation of US-Iran conflict to bring 'catastrophic results' for regional security: Qatar foreign ministry
