This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter that examines one key tale from technology. For additional coverage on tumbling machines and the US-China AI contest, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback reaches subscribers on Sunday at 8AM ET. Sign up for The Stepback here.

How it began

I have shared my appreciation for robot mishap clips on Stepback previously, and the World Humanoid Robot Games lived up to expectations in that regard.

The five-day gathering, which concluded this week in Beijing, delivered intense action throughout. One machine from smartphone firm Honor shed a limb during a dash, while others stumbled amid sparks. A finisher charged into a safety pad, rebounded, and ignited. In weightlifting, a robot toppled under a light barbell and crashed into the officials' area with limbs raised dramatically. Robotic cheer squads faltered during performances, and another unit slipped from a stage in a manner that might suggest distraction by the show if it were a person.

This marked the second World Humanoid Robot Games, and it exceeded the first in scale. Last year's results were modest by comparison. The top 100-meter time stood at 21.50 seconds, and the best standing high jump reached just 0.95 meters. Consistent with China's approach of showcasing robots publicly through dances at festivals and displays at tech gatherings, both events took place at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, a former Olympic site.

It proved a true spectacle. At typical athletic meets, lost parts, wall collisions, fires, and frequent stretcher removals would halt events. Here, such incidents formed the norm.

Beyond the flames, the games stood out in other respects. Standard contests like running, soccer, boxing, and lifting sat alongside tasks such as making beds, delivering packages, stocking shelves, folding laundry, and driving nails. A firefighting challenge fit the theme aptly.

These practical events highlighted the core aim: moving robots from controlled labs into complex everyday settings where creators envision their use. China openly aims to lead this field.

How it stands

Despite the flair and incidents, the games reflect major strides in robotics over recent years. Marks were broken, including a 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds that topped Usain Bolt's 2009 record. One unit cleared 2.88 meters in a standing high jump, surpassing the human record from 1993 by nearly half a meter. These feats differ sharply from robotics events a decade ago, when top models often could not remain balanced.

Yet the games also reveal the distance left before humanoids prove practical in daily settings. The eye-catching sports drew notice, but routine tasks lacked excitement. Sorting beans with tweezers, stacking blocks, or measuring powder seem unlikely to feature in major competitions soon.

Some events demanded full autonomy, such as gymnastics, soccer, tug of war, table tennis, and certain track races. Others permitted remote human control, though with point deductions. The skill shown indicates real hardware gains, yet reliable independent operation in factories or homes remains distant.

What comes ahead

Beijing has not announced a third Humanoid Robot Games, but strong official support for the sector makes another likely. The city has set a humanoid half-marathon for April, and plans call for the nation's first robot-operated hotel next year.

China dominated the results and appears positioned to maintain leadership in future events and the broader humanoid industry. The medal count was largely Chinese, led by AgiBot and Tien Kung, which each claimed more honors than most rivals combined.

This outcome partly stemmed from limited global entries. Though billed as worldwide, 641 of 666 teams came from China, covering 157 firms and 200 universities per state media. Major US players such as Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and Figure did not participate.

Still, the range of Chinese groups involved signaled strength and rapid sector growth, even as worries mount over repeated funding cycles, firms without solid offerings, and a potential humanoid oversupply.

A larger US presence might not have altered the outcome greatly. The US leads in cutting-edge AI and chips, but China narrows that difference while prioritizing embodied AI nationally. Washington has focused less on robotics and now lags in production, use, and components. Some analyses suggest recent curbs on foreign robots, aimed at China, could harm US firms reliant on Chinese parts.

Closing the gap requires focused work, but swift tech advances leave room to advance. Washington treats other AI areas as key in its Beijing rivalry; robotics could join them. Stumbles will occur, along with more robot mishap clips.

Additional notes

DARPA continues robotics events, though they attracted more notice years ago.
The US ban on foreign robots covered not only humanoids and four-legged units but also Roombas, as noted by The Verge's Sean Hollister.
Brains may originate in the US, yet bodies could come from China, as Business Insider's Lloyd Lee observes in a piece on strengthening hardware chains.
Unlike text models, real-world AI cannot rely on web scraping alone. Much data must be created, which explains interest in filming household tasks or sending crews to record them.

How it began

How it stands

What comes ahead

Additional notes

Further reading