Chinese robots tackle tennis, smash track records at World Humanoid Robot Games

During the World Humanoid Robot Games, hosted at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, humanoid robots showcased their prowess in various sports, including tennis and track events. A Galbot-developed robot engaged in a human-robot tennis match, competing against human players in singles and mixed-doubles demonstrations. Despite losing its balance at one point and subsequently regaining its footing, the robot successfully traded forehands and backhands with its human opponents.

Meanwhile, the Tien Kung robot claimed victory in the 400-metre large-robot race final, completing the race in 38.15 seconds – a time that surpassed the human world record of 43.03 seconds. The second and third-place robots also finished below 40 seconds, further demonstrating the robots' impressive speed.

The 100 meters race saw a Tien Kung Ultra robot from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre setting a new record, completing the sprint in 9.39 seconds – a feat that outpaced Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds. However, the competition was not without its challenges as robots occasionally failed, requiring staff intervention to help them continue or recover.

As the games progressed, a shift became evident in the robots' performance. With AI computing integrated, battery consumption increased, as highlighted by Huawei Technologies' David Li. The inclusion of 5G-advanced modules allowed robots to send sensor data to an embodied-intelligence system for processing, further emphasizing the growing importance of network coverage in these events.