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Robots running and dancing and fighting and playing football and so much more.
Well, it sounds like a sci-fi movie, does it not?
But it is not.
It's the World Humanoid Robot Games, a real competition that brings together machines from all around the globe.
The events are equal parts impressive and awkward at times to watch.
But why, if we think about this, do robots even need sports in the first first place?
And what does a robot on a track tell us about where this tech is really heading?
First up, what happens when robots stop living in science fiction movies and start competing for medals?
Well, apparently they need to run and dance and fight and play different types of games.
The second World Humanoid Robot Games officially opened on August 22nd,
bringing together robots that are being asked to do some surprisingly human things.
And behind all the fun and slightly funny-looking competitions is a much bigger question about where humanoid robotics is heading.
Are we watching the birth of a new kind of sport?
Hmm, maybe not so much.
How about a giant engineering experiment?
Maybe a little.
Or perhaps the world's most elaborate robot job interview?
And I think in some sense, that is what we're seeing there.