World Humanoid Robot Games Return with Table Tennis, Tug-of-War, and Boxing

From August 22 to 26, the second World Humanoid Robot Games will take place at the National Speed Skating Oval 'Ice Ribbon' in Beijing. Table tennis and freestyle boxing, previously peripheral events, are now officially part of the competition, with 14 teams competing in table tennis alone.

In table tennis, robots must rely entirely on autonomous vision and millisecond-level trajectory prediction, strategy selection, and swing execution, with rules based on ITTF standards. A hardware failure that prevents movement leads to immediate disqualification.

Tug-of-war makes its world-class debut, testing not just strength but coordination and foot friction. With only two small contact points, robots face significant overturning moments; the challenge lies in achieving synchronized steps and body posture. Running out of battery mid-match results in a loss.

Freestyle boxing is now an official event with full rules and rankings, divided into 40kg, 58kg, and 80kg weight classes. A new motion-capture control mode allows operators to wear a suit and synchronize their body movements to the robot in real time. If knocked down, a robot must get up within 10 seconds or lose.

From millisecond duels in table tennis to force battles in tug-of-war and tactical combat in boxing, this games is a stress test for autonomous control, real-time decision-making, and physical interaction. The Ice Ribbon is set to host an arena of steel and algorithms.