The Humanoids at China’s Robot Games Were Faster Than Usain Bolt—but I’m More Impressed by Their Tweezer Mastery

If you’re anything like me, the World Humanoid Robot Games are a highlight of your sporting calendar. The event, held in China, showcases the latest humanoid hardware, lots of algorithmic innovations, and a good dose of robot slapstick. This year’s iteration, which wrapped up in Beijing on August 26, did not disappoint. Besides record-breaking feats—the fastest humanoid on the planet!—and the occasional calamity—weightlifting gone wrong!—the games also included some new challenges that hint at the event’s real purpose: pushing humanoid companies to develop systems that inch closer and closer to practical deployment. First, though, let’s marvel at some of the more dramatic happenings, which…