The upcoming Innovate in Embodied AI Applications Global Challenge and the 2026 China Robot Competition are scheduled to take place simultaneously in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, from October 16 to 18, as announced by organizers on Monday. It marks the first time that these two prestigious events will run concurrently.
The competition series will encompass 22 tracks, 60 contest categories, and three independent corporate challenges. Zheng Zhiqiang, the director of the Robot Competition Working Committee of the Chinese Association of Automation, highlighted that these events offer a comprehensive platform for technological research and development, engineering validation, and practical applications.
The China Robot Competition, renowned as one of the most influential contests in automation and robotics in China, is evolving its focus this year to align with the emerging era of embodied robotics. In addition to its current categories, the competition will introduce 17 embodied AI events tailored to real-world applications and scenarios such as flexible sorting, air-ground cooperation, badminton competitions, and agile manipulation.
Emphasizing the importance of embodied intelligence in this year’s competition, Li Xingteng, the deputy general manager of Hangzhou Embodied Intelligence Application Pilot Testing Base Co., explained that the emphasis is on more than merely executing predefined tasks. Each robot must leverage its perception, movement, and manipulation capabilities to interpret tasks, adapt to changes in real-world environments, make decisions, and continually execute actions.
The integration of embodied intelligence signifies a significant innovation focus for the competition, aiming to propel robotics beyond basic functions into a realm where robots perceive, learn, and act autonomously in diverse environments.
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