The five-day competition of the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games concluded on the evening of August 26, with over two thousand robots competing across multiple events and shattering numerous tournament records.

A total of 666 teams from 16 countries brought 2,056 robot "athletes" to the arena, who delivered 1,301 thrilling matches across 51 disciplines, igniting a blazing stage for tech-driven sports. During the closing ceremony, winners from various events gathered to celebrate their achievements. Every breakthrough and gain has injected momentum into the development of humanoid robot sports and laid a solid foundation for the industry's growth.

The world's first full-scale dataset for a global humanoid robot games was officially unveiled at the ceremony and made freely available to the public. Looking ahead, the third edition of the games is scheduled for August 2027 in Beijing, continuing the new chapter of integrating technology and sports.

Arena Records Smashed as Tech and Sports Race Side by Side

With steady strides and upright postures, the winners of the track and field events took the stage at the closing ceremony, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience. Over the five-day schedule, the world witnessed these "cyber athletes" continuously push their limits and achieve new milestones. High-energy moments from the competitions were replayed one after another, drawing waves of cheers from the crowd.

This edition saw significant leaps in performance compared to the previous one. The 400-meter sprint improved from 1 minute 28.03 seconds to 45.66 seconds in the small-size group and 38.15 seconds in the large-size group. The 1500-meter event went from 6 minutes 34.40 seconds down to 2 minutes 21.64 seconds. The standing high jump soared from 0.95641 meters to 3.40 meters, all setting new games records.

Beyond track and field, humanoid robots showcased their unique appeal in events like football, gymnastics, weightlifting, street dance, sports dance, martial arts, tug-of-war, pitch-pot, table tennis, and free combat, delighting spectators with diverse performances. The ultimate purpose of technology is to achieve harmony between intelligence and a better life, and in the scenario-based competitions, robots demonstrated this core value through intelligent services. From handling materials in factories and tidying rooms in hotels to picking goods in supermarkets and responding to emergencies, these practical drills highlighted the warmth of tech-enabled living.

Competition is not an end but a beginning. Behind every arena task lies a real-world challenge drawn from actual production and daily life. Each medal earned marks a step forward for humanoid robots toward practical application. Testing through real-world scenarios and driven by demand is the founding mission of the games, and the completion rates across events exceeded many expectations.

Open Data Benefits the Industry, Fostering Collaboration Across Sectors

What the games brought to the industry goes beyond medals and results. At the closing ceremony, another valuable achievement from the arena was revealed. The CCID Research Institute and Beiao Group, together with several leading companies including Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Shanghai Zhiyuan, Galbot, Wanjing Qianxun, and Xinghai Tu, jointly released a major industry-wide outcome: the world's first full-scale dataset for a global humanoid robot games.

This substantial dataset aggregates massive real-world operational data collected by multiple organizations during training and official competitions, totaling over 2,500 hours. The data covers embodied operation scenarios across 12 application fields, including industrial, supermarket, catering, office, household, fire rescue, hotel, library, landscaping, and new energy vehicle charging, encompassing 44 tasks, over 100 skills, and more than 10,000 refined sub-tasks.

As the saying goes, one person can go fast, but a group can go far. This dataset will be freely opened to the public through the organizing committee, providing data support for more enterprises, research institutions, and universities. It effectively lowers the cost of real-machine data collection, allowing more teams to avoid starting from scratch. This represents China's commitment, as a key player in the global humanoid robot industry, to openness and industry empowerment.

Additionally, five challenge programs were announced to the world, inviting global participation to tackle key technical hurdles: on-device multimodal perception, high-speed stable wireless communication, coordination between arms and dexterous hands, model robustness and generalization in complex environments, and real-time precise intelligent electronic referee systems. These initiatives aim to pool resources from industry, academia, and research.

Legacy of Innovation Extends to Education and Public Services

At the closing ceremony, the "intelligent core," symbolizing the "sacred flame" of the humanoid robot community, was stored away for safekeeping. It carries the glory of this edition, preserving the spirit and competition footage of the games, and upholding the belief in human-machine coexistence and tech-driven dreams. Spectators watched in anticipation, awaiting its return next year.

Though the event has concluded, innovation never stops. A "Robots into Schools" initiative was officially launched, converting games resources into momentum for science and technology education and extending the event's value into the educational sector. Beijing Robot Leasing Company will donate 100 robots. According to the plan, some of these robots will be allocated to training bases for teaching and post-competition practice, while the rest will be distributed by education authorities directly to schools to enrich teaching and training resources for robotics education and innovation practice.

At the National Speed Skating Oval, known as the "Ice Ribbon," Beiao Group will also build a new 3,000-square-meter scenario-specific training base, providing a regular training environment for enterprises and research institutions. The facility is expected to be completed by the end of this year and will open free to the public, bringing robotic achievements closer to everyday life and public service.

"We are soliciting real application scenarios from around the world in areas such as manufacturing, life services, and special operations, and will upgrade the training base based on the results," said a representative from Beiao Group. The base will feature unified planning and digital management, offering teams and enterprises a realistic, efficient, safe, and traceable training environment. "We believe that competitions centered on real application scenarios will accelerate the large-scale adoption of humanoid robots. The number of scenario-based events at the third World Humanoid Robot Games will surpass the number of competitive events."

As time moves forward, the spirit of intelligent competition continues. In August 2027, the third World Humanoid Robot Games will reconvene in Beijing, using arena competition to drive industrial innovation and embark on a new journey for the development of humanoid robots.