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World Robot Conference 2026 Draws 557,000 Visitors in Beijing, Organizers Say

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The 2026 World Robot Conference closed in Beijing on August 23 after five days of exhibitions, forums and competitions, and organizers reported a sharp rise in attendance. According to the Beijing Municipal Government, the event drew 557,000 on-site visitors, a 106% increase over the previous edition, along with more than 10,000 foreign visitors.

The conference ran from August 19 to 23 at the Beiren Etrong International Exhibition and Convention Center in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, known as Beijing E-Town, according to a preview the city government published in July.

What was on the floor

Ahead of the opening, the Beijing government said more than 300 exhibitors would bring over 2,000 exhibits, including more than 150 first-time product launches, across four halls covering manufacturing, logistics, retail, healthcare, safety and rescue applications. The city's closing summary put the number of robot exhibits at more than 3,000 and said 44 new technologies were unveiled and 40 overseas companies exhibited.

The Associated Press reported that organizers expected around 3,000 products to be showcased and described Unitree's booth, where humanoid models boxed and danced, as one of the main attractions on opening day. AP noted that the opening coincided with Unitree's stock market debut in Shanghai. UBTech Robotics brought several industrial models along with an emotional-care humanoid priced at 168,000 yuan, or more than $24,000, according to AP. Not every demonstration worked: AP described a robot that tried for several minutes to fold a shirt and could not do it. The agency also wrote that, despite the conference's name, there was no sign of other countries exhibiting, which contrasts with the organizers' count of overseas exhibitors.

Program and competitions

The city government's preview said the program was organized into themed days: a release day on August 19, a procurement day for supply chain matchmaking on August 20, a developer day on August 21 and public open days on August 22 and 23. More than 60 parallel sessions were planned, double the previous year, according to the same preview.

The concurrent World Robot Contest drew 11,418 teams and 17,802 competitors from 26 countries, according to the city's closing summary. The government said the schedule also included a brain-computer interface robot competition and a new Global Robotics Application Exploration Program.

Industry figures and targets

An industry report released at the conference said China shipped more than 40,000 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026, equal to 97% of the global market, according to the Beijing government's account of the report. The city also outlined a Beijing Robot Domain plan that, according to the government, targets 100 specialty robot products, mass production of 100,000 embodied AI robot units and a 12-square-kilometer manufacturing zone. These are stated goals, not completed output.

Sources