But even before this month, China has been turning to high-profile events to showcase its tech, including a robot half-marathon and dancing humanoid robots during its Lunar New Year’s Eve TV gala, watched by hundreds of millions of people, according to The New York Times.

The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing have showcased how sport is accelerating robotics innovation and capturing public imagination. Over three days, more than 500 robots from 280 teams across 16 countries competed in 487 events that ranged from athletics and soccer to combat and hotel service simulations.