The Tiangong robot team defeated the Beijing Humanoid-Hust Joint Team 2-1 [1] to win the heavyweight tug-of-war championship in Beijing.
The competition serves as a critical benchmark for the physical capabilities of humanoid machines. By testing grip strength, stability, and coordination under extreme tension, the event reveals how close robotics are to replicating human physical power and balance.
The match took place on Sunday, Aug. 23, as part of the second World Humanoid Robot Games [2]. The broader event is scheduled to run from Aug. 22 to Aug. 26, 2026 [2]. These games bring together global robotics teams to compete in various challenges designed to push the limits of humanoid engineering.
During the heavyweight tug-of-war, robots competed on a track measuring 12 meters [3]. Each individual match lasted for two minutes [3]. The contest required the machines to maintain their footing while exerting maximum force to pull their opponents across the line.
Engineers designed the event to specifically evaluate how robots manage their center of gravity when facing external resistance. Because humanoid forms are inherently unstable, the tug-of-war tests the real-time adjustments made by the robots' balance algorithms. The Tiangong team managed these forces more effectively than their opponents to secure the 2-1 victory [1].
The event highlighted the ongoing evolution of humanoid strength. While previous iterations of these games focused on agility or basic movement, the heavyweight division emphasizes raw power and the ability to maintain grip under pressure. The Beijing venue continues to host these trials to accelerate the development of robots capable of performing heavy-duty labor in human-centric environments.
“Tiangong defeated Beijing 2-1 to win the championship.”
The victory of the Tiangong team underscores a shift in humanoid robotics from simple mobility to high-torque physical interaction. Success in a tug-of-war indicates that current AI-driven balance systems can now handle unpredictable, high-stress physical loads, a necessary step for deploying humanoid robots in industrial construction or emergency rescue operations.
