World first humanoid Robo-Olympics faces AI limitations

World Humanoid Robot Games, in Beijing, China, featured small humanoid kickboxers, footballers, athletes and dancers at the 12,000-seat National Speed Skating Oval stadium on August 15, 2025.

The government-backed event also highlighted balance, battery life and dexterity as key technological challenges which opened with the Chinese national anthem before the competitions began.

A match between top university robot kickboxers ended when a missed roundhouse kick sent one competitor tumbling.

Wang Ziyi, a student from Beijing Union University: “In the 1,500-metre race, one humanoid dropped out, its head detached mid-course. To keep the head balanced is the biggest challenge for us.”

The games are part of China’s push into embodied AI, identified in this year’s government work report. Ever since humanoid dancing robots appeared at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, the technology has gained prominence.

Chinese cities have launched 10bn yuan robotics industry funds and Bank of China has pledged 1tn yuan in AI industry financing over five years.

Dr Jonathan Aitken of the University of Sheffield cautioned: “The state of AI is nowhere near seeing humanoids operating out of uncontrolled environments.”

Morgan Stanley, an American investment bank, estimates China’s supply chains can make humanoid robots at one third the cost of non-China suppliers.

In competition to the world's second economy, US companies such as Tesla and Boston Dynamics still look like market leaders, while in China, UBTech and Unitree Robotics, which supplied the boxing robots, are advancing to new tech paths.