More than 320 humanoid robots from teams across China battled it out in skills contest for practical applications at the 27th China Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Competition held in Hefei City of east China's Anhui Province on Sunday.
The finals of the competition brought together over 200 teams from 100 universities.
As the venue was in imitation of real industrial scenarios, robots needed to navigate the course autonomously, relying on their environmental recognition capabilities without any remote control.
They also faced challenges that test their autonomous navigation across various terrains, intelligent obstacle avoidance and efficient material handling.
"The events in this competition are set in practical industrial production scenarios. As we adjust the competing robots, it feels as though we are contributing to the real-world applications of humanoid robots," said Li Jiongye, a contestant from Tsinghua University.
The event covered various sizes of biped robots. By introducing cutting-edge techniques like the embodied intelligence and OpenAtom OpenHarmony, it tests the participating robots' abilities in motion control, image recognition and path planning as well.
Meanwhile, it facilitated the shift of research focus on humanoid robots from cerebellar development to the practical application of cerebrum abilities.
"We anticipate that humanoid robots will enter the market on a large scale starting next year. For instance, they can be used in industrial facilities and public spaces, particularly in sectors such as public security, and also in healthcare and housekeeping," said Sun Lining, chairman of China Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Competition's organizing committee.
Over 320 humanoid robots compete in skills contest for practical applications
