Humanoid robot competition concludes, organisers claim several records

The World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) 2026 in Beijing concluded on Wednesday (26/8), with organisers claiming the event set a number of new records.

In the competition held from 22–26 August 2026, a total of 666 teams from 16 countries took part. They deployed 2,056 robot ‘athletes’ to compete in 51 disciplines comprising 1,301 matches.

Among the ‘records’ cited by the organisers was in the 400-metre run. The previous time of 1 minute 28.03 seconds at WHRG 2025 was improved to 45.66 seconds in the small robot category and 38.15 seconds in the large robot category this year.

A record was also set in the 1,500-metre run. Last year’s time of 6 minutes 34.40 seconds was cut to 2 minutes 21.64 seconds this year. Meanwhile, in the standing high jump, the previous mark of 0.95 metres soared to 3.40 metres.

In the final of the 100-metre sprint for large robots, the robot Tianxiao, better known as Tiangong, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, recorded a time of 8.64 seconds.

Meanwhile, in the 5v5 football final for large robots, the Tsinghua Huoshen team defeated Italy’s SPQR team with a score of 10-1.

WHRG 2025 was divided into two main categories: sports competition and scenario competition.

The sports competition covered nine major disciplines with 30 events, including athletics, football, gymnastics, weightlifting, wushu, dance, dancesport, tug-of-war, javelin throw, kickboxing, and table tennis.

The scenario competition tested robots’ ability to perform various everyday tasks. It was divided into 21 events covering nine real-world scenarios: household, hospitality, industrial, emergency rescue, logistics, library, retail, office services, and new electric vehicle charging.

In this competition, robots were tested on comprehensive operational capabilities in unstructured environments with high levels of interference and long workflows. Tasks included working in factories to move raw materials, tidying hotel rooms, sorting and restocking supermarket shelves, and handling emergency and hazardous situations.

Robots from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center excelled in body control and movement ability, analogous to the robot’s ‘cerebellum’, thus dominating the sports competition. They broke records in the 100-metre, 400-metre, and 1,500-metre runs, and were able to jump as high as 2.88 metres. As of Monday (24/8), the team had won eight gold medals, four silver, and 12 bronze.

Conversely, the work-scenario competition, which tested the robot’s ‘cerebrum’—the ability to think and make decisions—was dominated by Agibot, a Shanghai-based start-up specialising in general-purpose humanoid robots and artificial intelligence (AI).

Most of Agibot’s victories came from fire emergency response, library, hospitality, park, and household scenarios. As of Monday (24/8), Agibot had won 34 medals, comprising 13 gold, 11 silver, and 10 bronze.