China's Unitree, X-Humanoid top medal total in the world's first humanoid robot games

Unitree Robotics and Tiangong humanoid robots compete in the 100m final at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, Aug. 17. Reuters-Yonhap

Unitree Robotics and X-Humanoid emerged as the biggest winners by medal count at Sunday's conclusion of the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, signalling the rapid advances being made by China in this nascent sector.

Hangzhou-based Unitree won a total of 11 medals including four golds in the three-day event, which saw 280 teams from 16 countries compete in 26 sports, including kickboxing. The firm's H1 robots scored golds in four track-and-field events: the 400-meter dash, the 1,500-meter race, the 100-meter hurdles and the 4x100-meter sprint relay.

X-Humanoid, formally known as the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, took home 10 medals with two golds. Its robots ruled the 100-meter race and the novel materials handling event - a competition designed to simulate real-life factory floor scenarios.

On the sidelines of the event, Unitree founder and CEO Wang Xingxing told local media that he expected the company's humanoid robots to be able to run autonomously in future races. At present, most robot competitors are remotely controlled.

The performance of the two Chinese robot makers at the event reflects the progress being made in this sector, as the government has helped supercharge demand for humanoid robots in state-owned enterprises, while a number of manufacturers entered mass production this year.

"China has grown from a follower to a leader in this area," IDC analyst Li Junlan said.

China's progress was made on the back of innovations in artificial intelligence software and sensors that helped robots "see" and "hear" better, according to IDC. The research firm projected the global robotics market would be worth $400 billion by 2029, with China accounting for nearly half of that.

According to the organizers of the event, the humanoid robot games provided "test fields" to measure the balance, decision-making and interactive capabilities of these machines. These skills are expected to be applied later in real-world applications in factories and at home.

Unitree H1's strong performance in the track-and-field events was partly attributed to its robust mechanical joints, according to Tang Jian, chief technology officer at X-Humanoid.

The H1, which costs 650,000 yuan ($90,494), is built with Unitree's self-developed M107 joint motor. It delivers a maximum torque of 360 newton meters, which enables the H1 to take longer strides and make use of a strong kick to go faster in a race.

X-Humanoid's Tang said the company's Tien Kung humanoid robot, which won a half-marathon race in April between humans and robots, was being developed into an "all-around" competitor in the mold of Brazilian football legend Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima.

Tien Kung robots were built not only to run fast, but to operate steadily and reliably, which made them suitable for real-world applications, according to Tang. He said Tien Kung was also the only robot that runs on its own in races, without any human intervention.

China dominated most of the matches at the inaugural event.

Humanoid robots fight during the Free Combat competition at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, Aug. 16. EPA-Yonhap

Other Chinese robotics firms that won gold at the games included Neotix Robotics and Booster Robotics, which are both based in Beijing and founded by Tsinghua University alumni. Their robots triumphed in gymnastics, the long jump and in football.

Mishaps during the games included robots tripping into each other and robot kick boxers that flailed their fists blindly in the air before toppling, without even touching their opponents. These highlight the room for improvement in the sector.

"Everything from the events' rules to on-site judging were established from scratch," according to international referee Zhang Jidong, who is an associate professor at Tsinghua University. "It's an explorative process for humans and robots."

The next games were expected to be held in August next year, also in Beijing, according to organizers. A World Humanoid Robotics Games Federation will also be formed to foster global collaboration in these sporting events.

Read the full story at SCMP.