National competition in Shapingba District draws more than 100 teams developing robotics technologies for real-world deployment
CHONGQING, China, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A national robotics competition held this month in Chongqing offered a look at China's efforts to move embodied artificial intelligence out of research laboratories and into commercial use.
The finals of the 11th "Maker in China" SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest for Intelligent Biomimetic Robots concluded Sept. 11 in Chongqing's Shapingba District. The three-day national competition drew more than 100 teams from across China, with projects spanning biomimetic robotics, industrial automation and AI systems designed to perceive and interact with the physical world.
Alongside the competition, organizers arranged meetings involving companies, universities and research institutions, as well as discussions aimed at technology transfer, financing and local deployment. The event formed part of a national program intended to support innovative SMEs with specialized technologies. Its theme was "Pushing Tech Frontiers, Unleashing Creativity."
The competition comprised 13 tracks, covering work ranging from foundational research to systems approaching commercial deployment. Teams in the startup category competed in three broad areas: cutting-edge technologies, core enabling technologies and specialized applications. Their projects focused in part on the hardware, software and control systems underpinning the next generation of robots.
Teams in the enterprise category, by contrast, tested systems designed for real-world use in the electric power, healthcare and service sectors. The emphasis was on whether the technologies could perform reliably in operating environments and be scaled for broader deployment.
Many of the entries targeted technical bottlenecks that have limited the wider deployment of robotic systems. Projects included multi-robot coordination and task-scheduling systems for warehouses; assistive exoskeletons for older adults and rehabilitation patients; biomimetic robots for inspecting electric power infrastructure; miniature hummingbird-inspired flapping-wing drones; and robots capable of folding clothing autonomously. Together, the projects illustrated the range of engineering approaches Chinese developers are pursuing as they seek practical applications for embodied AI.
The competition also served as a venue for financing and business-development discussions, and several participating projects announced plans to establish operations in Shapingba. At the closing ceremony, the Shapingba District government signed letters of intent with SIASUN Robot & Automation Co., Ltd. and Chentu Technology, among other companies. ZTE also signed letters of intent with teams from Zhejiang University and Xi'an Jiaotong University.
Shapingba is seeking to establish itself as a center for embodied AI within Chongqing's broader robotics supply chain. The value of the district's robotics output rose 233% from a year earlier during the first seven months of 2026, according to local government data.
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Xinhua Finance: Robotics Contest Highlights Chongqing District's Push Into Embodied AI
The latest update introduces interactive extra-large widget hubs, adaptive layouts for iPhone Duo, and AI-assisted Home Screen personalization.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- iScreen, a mobile customization app for iOS and Android, today announced a new round of features and content designed around iOS 27, expanding the ways users can personalize their Home Screens with widgets, themes and emerging display formats.
The update highlights new experiences built around iOS 27's extra-large widget format, theme layouts optimized for iPhone Duo, and a new collection of iOS 27-inspired visual styles. iScreen is also expanding its exploration of AI-assisted personalization through AI Home Screen Designer, offering a more intuitive way to create coordinated screen setups.
Extra-Large Widgets Unlock New Home Screen Experiences
With the expanded widget dimensions available in iOS 27, iScreen is introducing new experiences designed specifically for the larger canvas, going beyond simply scaling up existing widget formats.
The new collection features a variety of extra-large widgets, including Photo, Album, Music, Calendar, Interactive Refrigerator and Quick Launch widgets, giving users new ways to display content, interact with their Home Screen and access frequently used functions. iScreen also supports customizable extra-large widgets, allowing users to personalize content, layouts and visual styles to create more functional and expressive Home Screen experiences.
Theme Layouts Optimized for iPhone Duo
To accommodate the new screen proportions and display dimensions of iPhone Duo, iScreen has optimized selected theme resources for the device's current screen format.
Wallpapers, widgets, icons and overall Home Screen layouts have been adjusted to better fit the new proportions while maintaining a balanced and cohesive visual experience.
Looking ahead, iScreen plans to further explore layout behavior, widget adaptation and visual continuity across different display states as new device formats create additional possibilities for mobile personalization.
iOS 27-Inspired Themes for a Cohesive New Look
Alongside its widget and device-format updates, iScreen has introduced a new collection of iOS 27-inspired themes reflecting the latest visual trends in iPhone customization.
The collection brings together coordinated wallpapers, transparent-style widgets, icons and other visual elements. By combining these assets into complete setups, users can create a polished and consistent Home Screen without having to manually search for and match individual elements.
AI-Assisted Home Screen Design
iScreen is also exploring how AI can make Home Screen personalization faster and more intuitive. AI Home Screen Designer can generate coordinated design suggestions based on a user's preferences for style, color and visual elements, combining wallpapers, widgets and icons into a unified setup.
The feature is currently available to a limited group of users for testing. iScreen will continue refining the generation experience based on user feedback and plans to gradually expand availability.
"Personalization is shifting from static aesthetics to dynamic, context-aware experiences," said the iScreen creative team. "With iOS 27's larger widgets and iPhone Duo's dual-display format, this update delivers deeper visual immersion and automated tools that simplify creating a cohesive Home Screen setup."
About iScreen
iScreen is a mobile customization app providing widgets, wallpapers and themed layouts for iOS and Android devices. Ranking among the top home screen customization platforms worldwide, iScreen has more than 100 million users and has been featured by Apple Editorial in 128 countries for five consecutive days. With interactive and decorative options, iScreen enables users to personalize both Home Screens and Lock Screens for a more immersive mobile experience.
Official Website: iScreen - Phone Style, iScreen it!
iOS Download: iScreen - Widgets & Wallpaper App - App Store
Android Download: iScreen Google Play
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iScreen Expands iOS 27 Customization With New Extra-Large Widget Experiences, iPhone Duo Theme Support and AI-Powered Home Screen Design
