On Saturday evening, China's capital Beijing hosted a groundbreaking sports event — a fully automated three-on-three soccer match featuring four teams of humanoid robots. Dubbed China's first of its kind, the competition not only drew crowds of fans but also served as a thrilling preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games. Humanoid robots, artificial intelligence, and soccer were the buzzwords of the event.

According to the organizers, all competing robots operated using AI-driven strategies, running completely autonomously without human intervention. Equipped with advanced visual sensors, the robots could accurately recognize the ball and navigate flexibly. Although designed to self-right after falling, several robots "got injured" during the match and required staff assistance to leave the field, adding a touch of realism to this technological spectacle.

China is accelerating the development of AI-powered humanoid robots, with sports competitions emerging as key testing grounds. Cheng Hao, founder and CEO of robot supplier Booster Robotics, said athletic events provide an ideal environment for humanoid robots, helping to speed up the development of algorithms and integrated hardware-software systems. He stressed that safety is the core of humanoid robot applications, and in the future, matches pitting robots against humans could be arranged to build public trust.

Cheng Hao explained that Booster Robotics provided hardware support to the four university teams, while each school's research group independently developed algorithms for perception, decision-making, formations, and passing. In the end, Tsinghua University's Tsinghua Robot Team defeated China Agricultural University's Shanhai Team 5–3 to claim the championship. Mr. Wu, a Tsinghua supporter, praised both teams: "Tsinghua performed exceptionally, but Shanhai brought plenty of surprises too."