Robots compete in a 100-meter sprint on Wednesday during the just-concluded second World Humanoid Robot Games, which ran from Aug 22 to Wednesday at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval.

Humanoid robots show off their dance moves alongside human dancers during the event's opening ceremony.

A robot performs a jump kick for the judges during a martial arts competition on Wednesday.

At the opening ceremony on Aug 22, a robot appears to "fly", evoking memories of Olympic champion Li Ning's spectacular flight above the Bird's Nest during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A robot climbs down from a box during the 100-meter obstacle course race.

A robot leaps to take a free kick on the soccer pitch on Aug 22.

A robot prepares to lift a barbell during the weightlifting competition.

Humanoid robots take to the court during the opening ceremony to play tennis with Chinese tennis star Zheng Jie.

Running at full speed, robots crash into a cushioned wall, one breaking apart and another sending sparks flying from its damaged frame.

From dancing last year to outrunning Usain Bolt this year, humanoid robots have rapidly evolved at the second World Humanoid Robot Games, which concluded on Wednesday at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval.

The competition, which began on Aug 22, drew a record 2,056 robots in 666 teams from 16 countries across six continents. They competed in 51 disciplines, including sprinting, obstacle races, tennis, weightlifting, soccer, and tug-of-war.

The event brought artificial intelligence and athletic competition together in a vivid showcase of advances in robotics, putting humanoid robots through a broad range of physical challenges.

On the obstacle course, robots climbed onto elevated platforms and cleared hurdles with measured strides. Success depended on stable gait transitions, balance and depth perception.

During an opening human-versus-machine demonstration, robots shared the court with Chinese tennis great Zheng Jie and took to the court to return her shots. To do so, they had to recognize an incoming ball, position their bodies and execute a swing, a sequence that remains difficult for bipedal machines.

Weightlifting tested joint torque and whole-body coordination under load, as mechanical arms gripped barbells and attempted controlled lifts.

On the soccer pitch, robots leaped and flipped as they attempted to kick the ball. In tug-of-war, humanoid competitors pulled ropes taut while maintaining traction and posture against an opposing force, exposing the challenges of balance and power delivery.

Yet, the games were far more than a playful robot contest. Familiar sports, from running and ball games to strength-based events, served as proving grounds for robot mobility, balance, dexterity and real-time decision-making.

Stumbles and mechanical failures were frequent, but they also offered an unvarnished picture of technological iteration. By translating aspects of human movement into machines, the games showed how artificial intelligence and robotics are expanding the physical capabilities of humanoid robots, while offering a glimpse of a future shaped by human-robot coexistence.

The events were designed to test not only individual components such as vision, grasping or walking, but also how effectively a robot's "brain, hands and feet" work together.