The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games will be held this August in Beijing, the capital of China, featuring two main categories—competition and scenario events—with a total of 32 contests. In addition to the 100-meter track, soccer, and martial arts, new competition events will include tug-of-war, weightlifting, and Tai Chi. Jiang Guangzhi, Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, said that this year’s soccer robots are able to “dive and save the ball,” and their athletic level has advanced from that of a “preschool child” to a “junior.”
According to a Sing Tao Daily report, the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games will be held from August 22 to 26 at the National Speed Skating Oval. At a press conference on the 21st, Yu Qingfeng, Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, introduced that the competitive events include track and field, soccer, gymnastics, weightlifting, martial arts, street dance, sports dance, tug-of-war, and pitch-pot—a total of 9 main events and 26 contests.
Among these, newly introduced events such as weightlifting, pitch-pot, and tug-of-war will compare the dexterity and strength of robot hands, which are key for the future commercialization of humanoid robots. The competitions have also added Tai Chi and pitch-pot to highlight elements of traditional Chinese sports.
As for scenario events, these include six contests such as “housekeeping service post” in a home setting, “hospitality service post” in a hotel setting, “fire and rescue post” in emergency settings, and “pharmacist” in a hospital setting, to test the practical skills of the robots.