The first World Humanoid Robot Games have concluded in Beijing with more than 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they took part in events ranging from the 100m (109-yard) hurdles to kung fu. Two hundred eighty robotics teams from 16 countries competed at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Events included traditional sports such as athletics and basketball as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorisation and cleaning. "I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans," 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan said. Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet.

Cornelius, a hog-sized robot with fat rubber tank treads, has come to a stop in a small, verdant courtyard on the Spanish revival campus of California State University, Channel Islands. "It's either autonomous or broken," Kevin Knoedler says, squinting into the summer sun, his face obscured by a mask and a hat with ear flaps. Knoedler, who has been building robots for decades, knows that it can be hard to tell the difference between a machine that's kaput and one that's cogitating. "Autonomous," says Andrew Herdering, a fourth-year mechatronics engineering major. Suddenly, Cornelius sparks to life.

It may have been developed with lftier goals, but Atlas, a terrifying 6 foot 2 robot developed by Google's Boston Dynamics spinoff, hasbeen taught to help around the house. The robot, which competed in the US Military's'Robot Olympics' can now hoover, sweep and even throw a paper plane into the trash. Researchers in Florida revealed the upgrade in a video. The 6 foot robot, which competed in the US Military's'Robot Olympics' can now hoover, sweep and even throw a paper plane into the trash. According to Boston Dynamics, Atlas is a'high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain.