Robots box and dance as Beijing hosts 2026 World Robot Conference
Beijing has opened a five-day World Robot Conference featuring humanoid and industrial robots from over 300 companies, coinciding with a stock-market debut for Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree that saw shares nearly sextuple.
The 2026 World Robot Conference opened in Beijing on August 19, running for five days and bringing together more than 300 companies showcasing humanoid robots, industrial machines, service robots and other forms of embodied artificial intelligence. Among the displays were robots demonstrating skills such as boxing and dancing.
Unitree's market debut
The conference's opening coincided with a major milestone for China's robotics industry: the stock-market debut of Unitree, the country's best-known maker of humanoid robots. Shares in the company surged nearly six-fold on their first day of trading, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm for the sector.
A new front in US-China rivalry
The event unfolds against the backdrop of robotics becoming an emerging battleground in the broader rivalry between the United States and China, as both powers vie for leadership in artificial intelligence and robotic technology. The scale of the conference underscores China's ambitions to position itself as a global leader in the field.
