At a robot "carnival" held by an R&D center on the outskirts of Shanghai, families poured in to experience humanoid machines up close, part of China's broader push to embed artificial intelligence into daily life through embodied AI—a key facet of the nation's latest five-year plan.
What Happened
The event featured more than 100 companies that research, develop, manufacture, and market robotic technologies. Attendees watched demonstrations including a mini robotic dog performing stunts, water-bead duels between remote-controlled robots, and humanoid machines showcasing martial arts routines like "drunken boxing" alongside front flips. Companies exhibited specialized bots capable of practical tasks such as transporting heavy loads or inspecting sewage pipes. DexForce, one exhibitor, displayed a humanoid model that can make coffee, while nearby robotic arms attempted to fold baskets of T-shirts.
Why It Matters
The public-facing event reflects China's aggressive stance on humanoid robotics at a time when progress elsewhere has been slow due to safety challenges, high prices, and short battery life. China already dominates global production: nearly 90% of the more than 13,000 two-armed, two-legged robots delivered worldwide last year were made domestically. The carnival is one component of an ongoing PR campaign that includes humanoids performing in shopping malls and tourist attractions across multiple Chinese cities and bipedal robots running half-marathons in Beijing.
The Bottom Line
Chinese firms are pushing humanoid deployment forward with public showcases aimed at winning over consumers, even as skeptics question whether a human form is the optimal shape for robots. The Shanghai carnival illustrates how manufacturers are blending entertainment with industrial ambition to normalize the technology.