From showcasing skills to real labor,the 2025 World Robot Conference witnesses a historic turning point.
In August, Beijing was shrouded in continuous rain, yet it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the audience.On the first day of the 2025 World Robot Conference, a nearly two-kilometer-long queue formed outside the exhibition hall, with people eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of the robots.
Entering the exhibition hall in Beijing Yizhuang, a picture of future technology unfolds: robots from Yushu Technology are fiercely battling in the ring, football robots are agilely running on a mini field, and the “Iron Man” robot from Zhongqing is dancing to the music, while quadruped robotic dogs weave effortlessly through the crowd.More than200 domestic and international robotics companies brought over1500 exhibits, with the number of humanoid robot companies setting a record for domestic exhibitions.
From showcasing skills to real labor: robots collectively“find work”
Unlike previous years, this year’s exhibition presents a distinct characteristic— manufacturers are no longer satisfied with showcasing the “fancy tricks” of robots, but are competing to prove that their products “can really work.” Over500 application scenarios were built on-site, transforming robots from performers to laborers.
In the Star Motion Era exhibition area, two L7 humanoid robots are collaborating on a logistics conveyor belt to sort packages. One is responsible for identifying package features and accurately grabbing and classifying them, while the other specializes in intelligent scanning. These robots utilize the company’s self-developed end-to-endVLA model, which requires no pre-programming and can quickly master skills with minimal data.
Fourier Intelligence showcased its newly released medical rehabilitation robotGR-3. This robot, standing at1.65 meters tall, is wrapped in a special soft material, inspired by the design of “Baymax” from “Big Hero 6.”
According to founder Gu Jie,GR-3 will be used in cognitive training and educational guidance in rehabilitation hospitals, and in the future, it will also enter communities and nursing homes to provide necessary companionship.
“If last year the industry was showcasing their robots, this year everyone is more focused on how to truly work, apply in reality, and commercialize effectively,” said Li Tong, CEO of Qingtong Intelligent, highlighting the trend of change in the industry.
Technological Innovations Breakthroughs: From“running and jumping” to “thinking and sensing”
Supporting robots to “really work” are a series of remarkable technological breakthroughs. At the exhibition,over 1500 robot exhibits vividly demonstrated the leap from “running and jumping” to “thinking and sensing.”
Motion Control: The Secret of Stability
Jiang Zheyuan, founder of Songyan Power, made a bold demonstration at the booth— he personally “kicked” his ownN2 robot. Surprisingly, after being kicked down, the robot was still able to walk normally after being helped up by staff.
The dual-wheel robot from Zhujiji Power demonstrated even greater stability. Even when pushed forcefully by the audience to be “ejected” a meter away, the robot remained upright and could quickly return to its original position within seconds. These breakthroughs stem from the integration of high-precisionIMU, six-dimensional force sensors on the feet, and other technologies, allowing the robot to perceive its own state and environmental changes in real-time.
Perception Interaction: Electronic Skin and Multimodal Fusion
In the field of perception interaction, flexible electronic skin has become a highlight. Many robots have their torsos, arms, and fingers covered with new flexible electronic skin, which integrates an array of micro-scale sensing units that can not only detect contact positions and forces but also perceive material texture features and slight temperature changes.
The robotic dog from Galaxy General uses the industry’s most notableVLA model (Vision-Language-Action model) technology, combined with specific sensor hardware, achieving “no remote control, pure automation” following. Even in dense crowds, it can accurately identify specific targets and closely follow staff.
Accelerating Localization of Core Components
Ding Ning, Executive Vice President of the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, pointed out:“Two years ago, the proportion of domestic components in our humanoid robots was only about30%, with many core components relying on foreign suppliers. This year, this proportion has exceeded80%.”
The maturity of domestic frameless torque motors, hollow cup motors, planetary roller screws, and other core components has enabled humanoid robots to possess not only intelligent “brains” and agile “cerebellums” but also flexible “limbs.”
Application Scenarios Flourishing: From Factories to Homes
New Forces in Industrial Manufacturing
Magic Atom showcased its general-purpose humanoid robotMagicBot Gen-1 for the first time offline in a “gluing scenario” on an industrial assembly line. At the gluing station, the robot can “work both sides” every20 seconds, completing the gluing operation of two motors simultaneously.
This full-size general-purpose bipedal humanoid robot, nicknamed “Wheat,” is expected to enter factory operations by the end of 2024, capable of working continuously for4 hours without interruption, with gluing accuracy stabilized within1 to2 millimeters, providing new possibilities for industrial automation transformation.
New Members for Home Services
The robotic arm from Qianxun Intelligent demonstrated its “folding clothes” skill: two robotic arms laid out a T-shirt, accurately folding the sleeves and hem, ultimately stacking it into a neat square, and can also stack multiple pieces of clothing into a pile, with detailed and orderly movements.
Qingtong Intelligent’s embodied service robot transformed into a versatile assistant. In the pop-up restaurant at the central exhibition area, the humanoid robotXMAN-R1 smoothly completed services such as scooping snacks and packaging according to customer orders.
New Breakthroughs in the Medical Field
Changmugu Medical Technology globally launched the “next-generation ROPA orthopedic intelligent surgical robot,” composed of three core modules: “smart brain,” “smart eye,” and “smart hand.”
Among them, the “smart brain” can generate a personalized three-dimensional surgical plan within 5-10 minutes based on the patient’s CT images; the “smart eye” is equipped with a sub-millimeter optical positioning system that tracks the patient’s position in real-time; and the “smart hand” robotic arm accurately performs operations such as osteotomy.
Embodied Intelligence: The Next Stop in Robot Evolution
At the main forum of the conference, embodied intelligence became a focal topic. Wang Xingxing, founder of Yushu Technology, pointed out:“The current real bottleneck is that embodied intelligence has not yet fully matured, which is the core factor restricting the large-scale application of humanoid robots. The biggest problem globally is the model issue rather than the data issue.”
Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of NVIDIA Omniverse and Simulation Technology, proposed that the digital transformation of the real economy is the main battlefield of the intelligent revolution. When intelligent robots connect computer technology with the trillion-dollar scale of the real industry, the leap in productivity will create unprecedented value.
He Xiaodong, Senior Vice President of JD Group, shared the three core modules of embodied intelligence:“small brain” (motion control capability), “big brain” (experience interaction and perception capability supported by large models), andIO system (natural language and interface input-output capabilities).
Green Intelligent Manufacturing: The “Two Mountains” Road of the Robot Industry
As the robot industry flourishes, the concept of green development is also deeply integrated into technological innovation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the proposal of the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,” which not only leads China’s ecological civilization construction but also contributes Chinese wisdom to global sustainable development.
The robot industry is actively practicing green development. At the exhibition, UBTECH’sWalker S2 showcased its ability for autonomous battery replacement in 3 minutes and “7×24 hours of uninterrupted endurance.”
Many robots have adopted new solid-state battery packs with an energy density exceeding400Wh/kg, achieving a battery life of6-8 hours under typical mixed working conditions, with energy consumption per unit distance reduced by nearly40% compared to two years ago.
The China Electronics Society’s report on the “Top Ten Potential Application Scenarios for Humanoid Robots in 2025” highlights agricultural production. In the future, humanoid robots will automatically pick fruits in the fields, contributing to sustainable agricultural development and becoming a concrete practice of the “Two Mountains” concept in the field of technology.
The Future is Here: The Green Vision of the Robot Era
On August 12, 2025, the World Robot Conference concluded successfully. In just five days, 19,000 robots and related products were sold on-site, with sales exceeding200 million yuan. This figure confirms that robots are moving from laboratories into thousands of households.
International institution UBS predicts that with large-scale implementation and cost reduction, the number of humanoid robots worldwide is expected to exceed2 million by 2035. The commercialization of humanoid robots is expected to first open in industrial and service scenarios.
Wang Xingxing stated in his keynote speech that the ultimate goal of robots is to “work,” and the current robot industry is like the “1-3 years before the birth of ChatGPT.” With technological breakthroughs and cost reductions, robots will deeply integrate into all aspects of green development.
From the “Two Mountains” concept in Anji Yucun to the robot gala in Beijing Yizhuang, China is exploring a development path that combines technological innovation with ecological civilization. When robots become guardians of lucid waters and lush mountains and creators of invaluable assets, a new chapter of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature will begin.
This robot “mobilization” not only showcases technological progress but also paints a picture of a future of green intelligent manufacturing—where machines coexist harmoniously with nature, and technology and ecology thrive together.
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