TIMELINE-From science fair to strategic showcase: a decade of China’s robot games

It’s been called the Robot Olympics. But unlike the human Olympics, ?Team China is collecting almost all the medals. Over the past decade, robotic competitions in ?China have provided a window into the advances of a now-surging sector – and ?the ?importance of its success as a strategic industry singled out by President Xi Jinping. Once a curiosity organized by academic teams and hobbyists, China’s robot games have become a national showcase celebrated by state media — and, increasingly, a proving ground for commercial products from companies looking to show real-world applications beyond the ?spectacle. The five-day World Humanoid Robot…