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Robots box, cut cucumbers, ride horses
Why are we talking about this???
A few years ago, this could have been the title of a science fiction movie. Today, it's just news. Robotics is developing very quickly, and that's why we follow the topic with great interest.
An unusual competition took place in China this week. Among all 2,056 participants, there was not a single human (or at least the humans were not in the spotlight). You’ve probably heard of it before – the 5-day World Humanoid Robot Competition in Beijing. If the word „humanoid robot“ confuses you, let us clarify – it’s a robot designed to look like a human – with arms, legs, a head and a body.
Although we often imagine them as the heroes of "Wild Robot," "Wall-E" and "Transformers," the most common robots do not look like people. In car factories, for example, robots that only have mechanical arms have long helped us. However, the participants in the Beijing competition had bodies similar to human ones. That is why they competed in human disciplines such as football, running, gymnastics, martial arts, boxing. There were also quite unpopular but practical disciplines such as cutting vegetables, folding blankets, even cleaning a toilet. With this variety of "sports" comes the question:
Which is harder – boxing or folding a blanket?
The robots did great in most competitive sports. They even „bettered“ two human records – they ran the 100 and 400 meters faster than the fastest people in the world. At the same time, however, the robots fell when landing, lost their balance when lifting weights, and couldn’t stop after a sprint. They did great at slicing a cucumber into thin strips. They had trouble turning on a power outlet and connecting two cables. In other words, robots are fast and dexterous, but they still can’t do human work without our help. Let’s not forget that at least half of the robots in this competition were remotely controlled by humans – a fact that the news often forgets to mention.
Why do robots fall?
Because the human body is truly a wonderfully designed „machine.“ There are a total of 52 bones in your two feet, which you use to keep your balance when you run, jump, or kick a ball. There are a total of 54 bones in your two hands, which help you draw, write, or play the piano. And it’s no wonder that even the best engineers have a hard time creating such a perfect mechanical body – one that can lift weights and thread a needle at the same time.
Robot competition – for or against?
Robots have no feelings. Maybe that's why people commented and watched the competitions that ended with broken robots and sparks the most. But why then are people excited about the Beijing Games? After all, they can't get attached to a team made up of robots... Mechanical competitors don't feel happiness and pride, so victory isn't important to them either. The reason for the great interest in the Games is probably not in sports emotions, but something else entirely.
This is a competition between scientists.
The real winners in these games are the engineers and scientists who designed the robots, because the competition showed which company did the best and built the most precise robot. This is also a competition between countries. Humanoid robots were sent to Beijing by Germany, the USA, Japan and 13 other countries. But the best results were shown by the hosts from China. This may also have excited the audience. In our opinion, however, people filled the stadium, driven by another very important reason – curiosity. They all wanted to peek into the future and know if and when robots would ever be like us.
©2026 ST News
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