China: 2026 World Robot Conference opens in Beijing.

Storyline 2026 World Robot Conference opens in Beijing Wang Yianyu, Reporter: "This is the biggest robot at this year's World Robot Conference. Five meters high, standing perfectly still. But nobody here can really tell you what it actually does. And that's the exception now, because almost every exhibitors here, including this one, are trying to tell you what their machines can actually do." Liang Zhujin, Co-founder, SynapX: "We want to combine a general-purpose AI brain with biomimetic dexterous hands to create a truly general-purpose form of productivity. The goal is not task-specific robots, but truly general-purpose productivity." Wang Yianyu, Reporter: "'Generality' is what companies in the humanoid space are chasing. But some others believe non-human forms are what today's work actually needs." Ma Long, Head of International Business, Yunji Technology: "We are not going to make humanoids because everybody else is making humanoids. We are looking at the customer needs. We are looking at the market. So whatever that creates value for our customers, we will develop it. Over the last 10 years, Yunji has been serving hotel clients. That's why we are developing this custom-made model, specifically serving the needs of hotel clients. The five-day event in Beijing has drawn over 300 companies, showing more than 3,000 products, nearly 70 percent more exhibitors than last year. And the biggest change is that it's not about how fancy or how human a robot looks. It's about whether it can actually clock in. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]