I spent a day at a robot “carnival” in Shanghai. Here’s what I saw.
Summary
The article reports on a robot carnival in Shanghai, where humanoid robots are showcased to the public, highlighting China's leadership in embodied AI and robotics through entertainment and demonstrations.
<figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" height="2000" width="2000" src="https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?w=840" alt="""" class="wp-image-1142221" style="width:auto;height:150px" srcset="https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg 3000w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=2000,2000 2000w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://wp.technologyreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/map.jpg?resize=2048,2048 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption"><br>__________________________<br><strong>THE PLACE</strong><br>Shanghai, China</figcaption></figure>
<p><em>Humanoid robots are having a moment in China. The popular machines are part of the country’s <a href="https://merics.org/en/report/embodied-ai-chinas-ambitious-path-transform-its-robotics-industry">strategy</a> to bring artificial intelligence into daily life. Embedding the technology into physical systems—an idea called embodied AI—was a key facet of China’s <a href="https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/fggz/fzzlgh/gjfzgh/202603/U020260317369114704096.pdf">latest five-year plan</a>, and companies here are already world leaders in humanoids. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/01/09/top-10-humanoid-robot-companies-by-shipments-revealed/">Nearly 90%</a> of the more than 13,000 two-armed, two-legged robots delivered globally last year were made in China. </em></p>
<p>“Look, it is trying to do a handstand!” an 11-year-old boy shouts excitedly while watching his new mini robotic dog attempt a series of stunts. The toy pet is a gift his mom just bought him at a robot “carnival” held by an R&D center on the outskirts of Shanghai, and he can’t stop showing it off to passersby. It’s a public holiday, and curious families are pouring in to the event to see what’s on display. </p>
<p>This busy hub houses more than 100 companies that research, develop, manufacture, and market robotic technologies and equipment. Many build specialized bots of all shapes that can do practical tasks, such as transporting heavy loads or inspecting sewage pipes. </p>
<p>Today, however, things are mostly for show. Meters away from where parents and children are queued up to buy the robotic dog, two staffers teach youngsters how to make a quadrupedal robot walk up a flight of stairs. Farther along, a tense battle breaks out between two remote-controlled robots firing water beads at each other, as boys and girls cheer them on from around a temporary ring. (A staffer declares the duel a draw.)</p>
<p>Showcases like this are important, because they invite the public to experience robots up close. Some of China’s most prominent robotics companies are building humanoids. These machines “can free people from physical work and mundane chores,” says Yang Duan, a product manager at DexForce, which is at the carnival exhibiting a model that can make coffee. A few booths down, a pair of robotic arms attempts to fold a basket of T-shirts. </p>
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<p class="imageSet__caption">Robots in many forms—including humanoid ones—entertained the public and demonstrated their skills.</p>
<p>Exposure matters, because elsewhere humanoids’ progress has been slow, marred by safety challenges due to their heft and need to balance <a href="https://blog.robozaps.com/b/challenges-in-humanoid-robotics">on two legs</a>. High prices and short battery life have also limited their appeal. Plenty of roboticists <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/30/a-big-question-for-teslas-optimus-should-robots-look-like-humans.html">are skeptical</a> that a human form is the best shape for a robot to take. </p>
<p>But Chinese firms are pushing forward and showing off their latest models. As this carnival takes place in Shanghai, shopping malls and tourist attractions in several other Chinese cities host humanoids that perform for crowds. In Beijing, bipedal robots are running half-marathons. The PR campaign seems to be winning over hearts and minds—at least on this particular weekend in Shanghai. </p>
<p>Applause rings out from the festival’s main tent. There, a humanoid wearing a blinged-out top is showing off a martial arts style known as drunken boxing as a fellow humanoid performs a front flip to woo the crowd. Alongside the stage, a squad of small robotic lions are lined up waiting to perform. </p>
<p>The audience can’t get enough. They chant: “More, more, more.” </p>
<p><em>You Xiaoying is a London-based freelance journalist focusing on China.</em></p>
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Cached at: 08/25/26, 10:16 AM
# I spent a day at a robot “carnival” in Shanghai. Here’s what I saw.
Source: [https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/25/1141907/dispatch-shanghai-humanoid-robot-carnival](https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/08/25/1141907/dispatch-shanghai-humanoid-robot-carnival)
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Humanoids are becoming a popular form of public entertainment here\.
INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING & ROBOTICS GLOBAL CO\-INNOVATION CENTER
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
**THE PLACE**
Shanghai, China*Humanoid robots are having a moment in China\. The popular machines are part of the country’s[strategy](https://merics.org/en/report/embodied-ai-chinas-ambitious-path-transform-its-robotics-industry)to bring artificial intelligence into daily life\. Embedding the technology into physical systems—an idea called embodied AI—was a key facet of China’s[latest five\-year plan](https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/fggz/fzzlgh/gjfzgh/202603/U020260317369114704096.pdf), and companies here are already world leaders in humanoids\.[Nearly 90%](https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2026/01/09/top-10-humanoid-robot-companies-by-shipments-revealed/)of the more than 13,000 two\-armed, two\-legged robots delivered globally last year were made in China\.*
“Look, it is trying to do a handstand\!” an 11\-year\-old boy shouts excitedly while watching his new mini robotic dog attempt a series of stunts\. The toy pet is a gift his mom just bought him at a robot “carnival” held by an R&D center on the outskirts of Shanghai, and he can’t stop showing it off to passersby\. It’s a public holiday, and curious families are pouring in to the event to see what’s on display\.
This busy hub houses more than 100 companies that research, develop, manufacture, and market robotic technologies and equipment\. Many build specialized bots of all shapes that can do practical tasks, such as transporting heavy loads or inspecting sewage pipes\.
Today, however, things are mostly for show\. Meters away from where parents and children are queued up to buy the robotic dog, two staffers teach youngsters how to make a quadrupedal robot walk up a flight of stairs\. Farther along, a tense battle breaks out between two remote\-controlled robots firing water beads at each other, as boys and girls cheer them on from around a temporary ring\. \(A staffer declares the duel a draw\.\)
Showcases like this are important, because they invite the public to experience robots up close\. Some of China’s most prominent robotics companies are building humanoids\. These machines “can free people from physical work and mundane chores,” says Yang Duan, a product manager at DexForce, which is at the carnival exhibiting a model that can make coffee\. A few booths down, a pair of robotic arms attempts to fold a basket of T\-shirts\.
INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING & ROBOTICS GLOBAL CO\-INNOVATION CENTER
INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING & ROBOTICS GLOBAL CO\-INNOVATION CENTER
Robots in many forms—including humanoid ones—entertained the public and demonstrated their skills\.
Exposure matters, because elsewhere humanoids’ progress has been slow, marred by safety challenges due to their heft and need to balance[on two legs](https://blog.robozaps.com/b/challenges-in-humanoid-robotics)\. High prices and short battery life have also limited their appeal\. Plenty of roboticists[are skeptical](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/30/a-big-question-for-teslas-optimus-should-robots-look-like-humans.html)that a human form is the best shape for a robot to take\.
But Chinese firms are pushing forward and showing off their latest models\. As this carnival takes place in Shanghai, shopping malls and tourist attractions in several other Chinese cities host humanoids that perform for crowds\. In Beijing, bipedal robots are running half\-marathons\. The PR campaign seems to be winning over hearts and minds—at least on this particular weekend in Shanghai\.
Applause rings out from the festival’s main tent\. There, a humanoid wearing a blinged\-out top is showing off a martial arts style known as drunken boxing as a fellow humanoid performs a front flip to woo the crowd\. Alongside the stage, a squad of small robotic lions are lined up waiting to perform\.
The audience can’t get enough\. They chant: “More, more, more\.”
*You Xiaoying is a London\-based freelance journalist focusing on China\.*
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