Ningbo humanoid robots shine at world robot games

"Adam" participates in an industrial packing competition. [Photo/Yongpai App]

Humanoid robots from Ningbo made a strong impression at the World Humanoid Robot Games 2026, held from Aug 22 to 26 at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, known as the "Ice Ribbon".

Ningbo's teams included Ningbo University's Bailu Robot Team and PND Robotics Team. Making its debut at the event, the Ningbo University team scored 8.38 points in the tai chi performance event, ranking 10th among 52 teams and third among university teams.

Ningbo University teamed up with JAKA Robotics for the competition. JAKA provided the hardware and tutorials, while the university team handled motion capture, programming, movement correction, and optimization independently. All the robot's tai chi movements were performed autonomously, without remote control.

PND Robotics brought its full-size "Adam" humanoid robot to compete in the 100-meter obstacle race, high jump, and industrial packing event, where it advanced to the final after placing fifth in the qualifiers.

These strong performances reflect Ningbo's growing strength in embodied intelligence and humanoid robotics. In the first half of 2026, 101 robotics companies from Ningbo above the designated size recorded industrial output of 14.23 billion yuan ($2.11 billion), up 19.1 percent year-on-year. The city now has nine companies capable of producing complete humanoid robots, while a coordinated industrial chain spanning complete machines and key components is rapidly taking shape.

It is reported that the World Humanoid Robotics Games attracted 666 teams and 2,056 robots from 16 countries, with participants competing in 51 events and 1,301 matches.