On August 14, 2025, at the National Speed Skating Hall, known as the “Ice Ribbon,” the “Smart Core” installation, symbolizing the coexistence of technology and culture, was illuminated under a multitude of light beams, marking the grand opening of the world’s first humanoid robot sports event. The event was co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government, China Central Television, the World Robot Cooperation Organization, and the Asia-Pacific Robot World Cup International Council, gathering 280 teams from 16 countries across five continents, with over 500 humanoid robots, to kick off a three-day technological competition.
The Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science team appeared alongside 192 other university teams, including Tsinghua University and Peking University, showcasing the technical strength of Chinese universities in the field of embodied intelligence. The team, composed of faculty and students from the AI and Computer Science department, participated in the opening ceremony performance, the 100-meter sprint, and the “Inspiration” educational science competition, demonstrating the college’s cutting-edge exploration and innovative capabilities in intelligent robotics.
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Opening Ceremony: The Fusion of Technology and Humanity, Showcasing the Charm of Human-Robot Integration
On August 14, the Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science team participated in the opening ceremony alongside robots from 280 competing teams from 16 countries.
The young engineers of the Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science team brought humanoid robot systems to participate in multiple events. They were seen in various competition displays, engaging in friendly competition with other robots.
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Competition Arena: 100-Meter Sprint Challenge, Showcasing Hardcore Strength
In the 100-meter sprint held on August 16, the Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science team’s “CyberBolt” completed the race in 40 seconds, ranking among the top three in its group.
The 100-meter sprint is not only a test of speed but also a comprehensive assessment of motion control, environmental perception, and real-time decision-making capabilities. During the competition, “CyberBolt” briefly lost balance at the start due to insufficient ground friction but successfully regained posture and accelerated through rapid coordination of the hip and knee joints. Although it did not win gold, its performance in adaptability to complex terrain and dynamic balance control received high praise from the judges.
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“Inspiration” Educational Science Competition: Technology for Good, Caring for Special Groups
In the “Inspiration” humanoid robot educational science application innovation competition held on August 15, the Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science team showcased its unique humanistic care and technical application. The “Star Companion” team from the AI and Computer Science department participated with the Pepper humanoid robot, presenting a teaching assistant robot designed for rehabilitation training for children with autism. This innovative project allowed Pepper to act as an “intelligent emotional interventionist,” using carefully designed interactive games, emotion recognition and imitation, and structured social scenario simulations to train emotional recognition and expression in children with autism.
The system utilizes Pepper’s rich body language, facial expression changes, and voice interaction capabilities to create a safe, controllable, and engaging training environment. The team demonstrated how Pepper guided a simulated child with autism in games like “emotion card matching” and “expression imitation,” with its smooth interactions and multimodal feedback capturing the attention of judges and the audience.
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Competition Experience
For the participating students, this was not just a competition but an unforgettable journey of growth.
“When‘CyberBolt’ was running on the track, I felt like I was sprinting alongside it.” said Jiang Jiacheng, a sophomore in AI, “We experienced countless failures, but each problem solved brought us closer to our goal.”
“Standing on‘Ice Ribbon’’s arena, I truly understood what it means to‘use technology for good and inspire the future’.”” said Huang Ruixiao, a sophomore in AI, “Competing alongside the world’s top teams, we saw the gap and strengthened our confidence. In the future, we want to make‘CyberBolt’ run faster and more steadily, and let more Chinese university robots take the world stage.””
Graduate student Ren Rongxin from the AI and Computer Science department stated, “Our goal is to use the friendly and predictable characteristics of humanoid robots to provide a novel assistive tool for interventions with children with autism. Pepper can offer consistent patience and standardized training, alleviating some of the repetitive workload of special education teachers and capturing the children’s attention.”
This participation is an excellent practice of integrating industry, academia, and research. The Northeast University of Technology’s AI and Computer Science department not only showcased its technical capabilities on an international platform but also clarified the direction for research breakthroughs through exchanges with cutting-edge global technologies. In the future, we will continue to deepen educational reforms, strengthen industry-academia-research cooperation, cultivate students’ practical innovation abilities, and promote the continuous development of the field of embodied intelligence, making embodied intelligence a new engine driving new productive forces.