Humanoid robots hop to new heights in standing high jump competition

The ongoing 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games held a standing high jump showdown on Saturday in a display of mechanical muscle and algorithmic agility.

According to the event's organizer, robotic contenders were challenged to perform standing high jumps. Each robot had three chances within ten minutes. Only jumps with a stable touchdown were counted.

"Jumping is all about instantaneous force. It is a test of explosive power. It is also about the balance at landing. These are two important points," said Zhu Xinyu, a technician from team Magiclab.

The gold went to team Robotera, whose robot soared to 0.95 meters, outjumping its closest rival by eight centimeters. According to judges, however, some of the competitors proved even more capable than expected.

"We required vertical jumps from a stationary position, but some robots performed flips. We hold competition first, then technicians will review and determine score validity. Robots doing complicate maneuvers reflect advanced control and algorithmic precision," said Wang Hu, a standing jump judge of the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games.

The robots performance was collected for judgement by a 16 infrared cameras. The cameras, able to detect tiny reflective spheres attached to the robots, track every millimeter of ascent and descent.

This motion capture system does not just measure performance. It is also a training tool used off the field to fine-tune robotic movement.

"The motion capture system can collect data from robots. It also can collect data from elite human athletes, and that data helps us train robots," said Liu Haoyang, a judge of the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games.

Opened on Thursday in Beijing, the games have welcomed 280 teams from 16 countries, including the United States, Germany and Italy, competing from Friday to Sunday at the National Speed Skating Oval.

Competitors are taking part in 26 events, spanning athletic challenges such as running, long jump, free exercises and football, as well as skills-based tasks like moving materials, sorting drugs and cleaning across different scenarios.

The United Kingdom's economy contracted in April, with the gross domestic product (GDP) falling 0.1 percent month on month after growing 0.3 percent in March, according to data released Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The main driver of the negative growth was cited as a 0.2 percent contraction in services.

According to the ONS, one of the biggest contributors to the decline in services was a 9.1 percent fall in sports, amusement and recreation activities -- the largest negative contribution from a single industry to services output and real GDP growth.

Some of the sector's decline was attributed to the war in the Middle East, as the cancellation of various sporting events in the Middle East affected the output of U.K.-based companies, said the ONS.