The 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, the first of its kind in the world, wrapped up on August 18 in Beijing after emerging as a proving ground for cutting-edge advancements in robotics technology.

The three-day games featured 280 teams from 16 countries including the U.S., Germany, Japan and Brazil to compete across 26 events. The events included traditional sports like track and field, gymnastics, soccer and martial arts, as well as application-based tasks like moving materials, medicine sorting and cleaning in various scenarios such as factories, hospitals and hotels.

According to Robotics & Automation News website, the games have garnered extensive international media attention, with 97 overseas outlets and 282 reporters covering the event, spotlighting robotics' growing global appeal.

Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University, said that the games highlighted rapid advancements in the industry. This included the affordability of humanoid robots and AI advancements that enable humanoid robots to perform a broader range of basic tasks like running and jumping.

Meanwhile, the games showed that the tech has limitations after some robots were seen tripping over each other, needing a human operator to help guide them.

Still, many overseas news outlets noted that the games demonstrated China's latest breakthroughs and its advantages in robotics. The Guardian said the games displayed China's prowess in humanoid robotics, a technological field that has been pushed to the forefront of the country's AI industry.

Reuters reported that in recent years, Chinese humanoid robots have demonstrated increasing feats of agility. This could be evidenced by a robot from Unitree Robotics, who won the gold medal for the 1,500-meter indoor track event with a time of six minutes and 34.40 seconds at the games.

The games are part of China's efforts to be at the forefront of robotics innovation. In recent months, China has staged a series of high-profile robotics events, including the 2025 World Robot Conference and the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon.

Reuters analyzed that China is building its edge in humanoid robotics by investing heavily and focusing on the sophistication of its AI models. "China's advances in AI are allowing humanoid developers to pair the robots' already impressive hardware with the software needed to make them economically valuable," Reuters said.

Another clear advantage is China's domination of the production of core hardware components as the country is capable of making up to 90 percent of humanoid components, Reuters said.

"It is becoming apparent that national support for 'embodied AI' may be far greater in China than in any other nation, driving continued innovation and capital formation," Sheng Zhong, Morgan Stanley's head of Industrials Research, said in a report.

As China has rolled out a national plan to build a world-class humanoid industry by 2027, it is expected that the country will pour more support into the industry to bring more innovation for the world.