Visitors interact with an intelligent robot imitating Confucius at the 2025 World Robot Conference in Beijing on Aug 8.

Since robots are a crucial driving force in developing new quality productive forces and shaping an intelligent lifestyle, Beijing has been leveraging its technological and talent strengths to accelerate the development of common technologies, expand application scenarios, build industry exchange platforms, and continuously enhance the supply of essential resources in this field.

As a result, the city's robotics industry ranks among the top in China, Beijing Mayor Yin Yong said at the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Robot Conference.

The event, held from Aug 8 to 12, was jointly hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics and the World Robot Cooperation Organization in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town.

It featured an exhibition area of approximately 50,000 square meters, comprising three main halls focused on innovation, application, and technology.

Over 200 domestic and international robotics companies showcased more than 1,500 exhibits, with over 100 new products making their debut. Among the participants were 50 humanoid robot companies, the highest number among similar exhibitions worldwide.

In the exhibition area of the Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics, different models of heterogeneous robots carried out cross-scenario collaborative operations through the coordination of Huisi Kaiwu, the world's first general embodied intelligence platform.

Experts noted that this breaks the traditional barrier of "one machine for one post", marking an evolution from individual intelligence to group intelligence.

Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation in the United States, witnessed remarkable changes at this year's conference, one of the most noticeable being the significant increase in international participants. He added that since its inception, the conference has now grown into a truly global event.

Today, the robotics industry is on the verge of large-scale industrialization. The guiding opinions on the innovative development of humanoid robots, released by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, state that by 2027, the humanoid robot industry is expected to achieve larger-scale growth, with related products deeply integrated into the real economy and becoming an important engine for economic growth.

In response, Beijing aims to build an internationally influential hub for robotics innovation. It will collaborate with Tianjin and Hebei to strategically position key components, promoting the gradual development of high-level, large-scale production capabilities for humanoid robots.

It also plans to establish the first national-level testing and verification platform for humanoid robots, continuously enhance the brand influence of major events such as the World Robot Conference and the World Humanoid Robot Games, and take the lead in setting up specialized robot service institutions to become a global benchmark city for human-robot collaboration.

As for the World Humanoid Robot Games, Beijing is hosting the event at the National Speed Skating Oval, known as the "Ice Ribbon". A total of 280 teams from 16 countries, featuring over 500 humanoid robots, will compete in 487 events, including running, basketball, dance, martial arts, and industrial material handling.

The "Panda Eye" training base — the world's first professional venue for humanoid robot football — was recently officially unveiled. Guo Yonghao, executive deputy director of the Games' organizing committee, said its semi-transparent design allows precise control of temperature, humidity, and cleanliness.

The base can create a laboratory-level stable competitive environment for robots while allowing natural sunlight, moonlight, and starlight to shine through, he added.

Located on the southwestern side of the "Ice Ribbon", the ROBOLAND camp is expected to become a future hub for the humanoid robot industry. It is designed to promote domestic and international industrial cooperation and exchange, supporting the sustainable development of the robotics sector.