Beijing Humanoid Robot Games Draw 2,056 Entrants as Test Crashes Expose Autonomy Hurdles
Updated
Updated · Mashable · Aug 21
Beijing Humanoid Robot Games Draw 2,056 Entrants as Test Crashes Expose Autonomy Hurdles
3 articles · Updated · Mashable · Aug 21
Summary
Viral test-run videos ahead of Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games showed humanoid robots crashing into a blue wall and electrical boxes, with one machine apparently breaking at the waist and throwing sparks.
The mishaps come as this year's Aug. 22-26 competition shifts several track events from remote-controlled to autonomous, a change robotics expert Eren Chen said may be making navigation harder than last year.
The Games have expanded sharply to 2,056 robots from 666 teams in 16 countries across 50 events, up from more than 500 robots, 280 teams and 26 events at the inaugural edition.
Autonomy now carries a competitive premium: some sports still allow human operators, but robots must act independently in events such as breakdancing and the 4x100 relay, while remote-controlled scenario entries get half scores.
Unitree, last year's top medal winner with 11, is a team to watch after previewing a "Superman" robot that it says can jump about 2 meters and run at 12.658 m/s.