Shanghai puts about 1,000 humanoids through 23 task categories in an embodied-AI competition

About 1,000 humanoid robots and more than 800 teams competed in the International Embodied Intelligence Competition in Shanghai, which ended on October 25, 2026, China Daily reported on October 27. Teams competed in 23 categories built around industrial, service and special-operations tasks, from production lines to everyday life. The competition was part of the three-day 2026 Global Developer Pioneers Summit.

Why it matters: task-based scoring at this scale gives buyers and regulators a public comparison that demo videos do not.

Who took part?

The summit drew more than 300 robot hardware companies and more than 200 suppliers, according to China Daily. The article did not name the winners, the organiser or the prizes. Gan Xiaobin, deputy director of science and technology at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, called the competition a platform for cooperation.

What did Shanghai officials say?

Wu Jincheng, deputy head of Pudong New Area, said Pudong has launched more than 30 humanoid models and has the world’s highest concentration of mass-produced humanoids. Zhang Ying, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai government, said the city’s larger AI companies had combined first-half revenue of more than RMB 330 billion, up 22.6%. Shanghai separately set a target of 8,000 humanoids in its factories by 2028.

Earlier competitions: the World Humanoid Robot Games and Beijing’s Robot Warrior rescue challenge.