The second World Humanoid Robot Games scheduled for Aug 22 to Aug 26 in Beijing will set a series of scenario-based contests to test robots' capability of executing real-world tasks in demanding environments.
The upcoming games will see the number of participating robots quadrupling from last year's inaugural event, organizers said.
They said this year's games will feature more than 30 events, including newly added long jump, weightlifting, tug of war and table tennis, which are designed to test robots' motion control, structural design and core components.
Scenario-based contests will also be expanded to real-world settings that include factories, hotels, homes and logistics facilities. Tasks such as assembling, housekeeping, emergency response and library book sorting will test robots' ability to perform practical tasks.
Specifically, the event for testing participating robots' emergency response capability will include tasks of clearing fire escape passages, and setting up one meter cordon fence in emergency zones, to comprehensively test robots' ability to coordinate their arms and to plan their paths.
"Our robots have better generalized our arms' trajectory in opening doors or windows. Through some subtle designs, like equipping our robots with rotary grippers, they are capable of opening doors with a spherical knob. The more difficult task is setting up one-meter cordon fence, which is our key focus for training robots and optimizing their capabilities this year," said Li Jing, product director at UniX AI, a company specializing in advancing real-world deployment of general-purpose humanoid robots.
Compared with the last edition of the games, the number of scenario based events rises from 6 to 21, and the robots will upgrade from performing a task single-handedly to doing teamwork by two or even four participants.
Games to test humanoid robots' practical skills in real world
Games to test humanoid robots' practical skills in real world
Zhejiang Province, a major economic powerhouse in east China, has made significant progress in promoting common prosperity over the past five years since being designated as a demonstration zone for this endeavor.
Promoting common prosperity has been a persistent objective of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In 2021, China issued a guideline to build Zhejiang into a demonstration zone to basically achieve common prosperity by 2035.
Zhejiang has since been striving to turn the vision of common prosperity into reality. In the province, the number of relatively underdeveloped mountainous or island counties has dropped from 28 to 22 over the past five years, with their average annual GDP growth outpacing the provincial average.
The province is now home to more than 2,500 national-level smart factories, where industrial robots operate with precision around the clock.
The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, which links the province to more than 200 other countries and regions worldwide, has a daily throughput of nearly 4 million tons, handling over 120,000 containers every day.
In rural areas, an average of nearly 1 million tourist visits are received each day, showcasing the diverse charm of China's countryside.
"Our approach is to promote free flow of resources and essential factors of production across the province, allowing regions to draw on each other's strengths. We have tailored 'one county, one policy' for each mountainous and island county and developed 'one distinctive industry per county' strategy based on local conditions. We have also encouraged coastal regions and these mountainous-island counties to jointly establish 'development enclaves' to share industrial platforms and sci-tech innovation resources," said Lin Jian, director of the common prosperity promotion division of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission.
Zhejiang has also improved assistance mechanisms, pairing government departments, state-owned enterprises and universities with underdeveloped counties to provide demand-oriented support. Kecheng District in Quzhou City is one such beneficiary.
"Our most pressing challenge is the transformation of traditional industries. The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology and other agencies have helped us upgrade and improve the quality of our industries. We have also partnered with Yuhang and Linping districts in Hangzhou to establish cooperative enclaves and enhance our capacity for innovation. Universities have also joined us in setting up innovation labs, boosting our research and development capabilities. These assistance measures have not only removed bottlenecks but also injected new vitality into our development," said Zheng Hang, deputy chief of Kecheng District.
Zhejiang has stimulated the internal driving force for rural development. In Jinyun County, Lishui City, the Jinyun Shaobing, a Chinese-style meat pie with a 650-year history, has been sold to 16 other countries and regions worldwide, contributing to industrial revitalization and promotion of the people's living standards.
"Many young people have returned from cities to the village. They're running homestays and organizing study tours. Even baking shaobing has become an experience activity for tourists. We can now work right at our village. It's great," said Wang Lifen, a villager.
Zhejiang has unveiled its plan for high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), aiming to further narrow urban-rural gaps and strengthen the internal driving forces of mountainous and island counties.
"Through innovation-driven development and industrial upgrading, we will make the 'cake' bigger and better. While strengthening the material foundation for common prosperity, we will ensure that the fruits of development will benefit more people. We are striving to achieve decisive progress in building the common prosperity demonstration zone through high-quality development by 2030, taking the lead in presenting a vivid picture of basic realization of socialist modernization," said Huang Honghong, member of the leading Party members group of the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission.
Zhejiang makes significant progress in promoting common prosperity
