Picking, transporting, roasting and pressing tea after the Beijing half-marathon — first steps toward serving society

This is according to a report from the tea base in Fuding City, Fujian Province.

On Sunday, in Fujian Province, humanoid robots took part in a trial. They performed the entire tea production process. This was part of the promotional campaign for the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games, which will be held in August.

After a week of training, the robots — which had run a half-marathon in Beijing just last April — arrived at the tea base in Fuding City. There they worked alongside humans: picking tea, transporting it, withering, roasting and pressing tea cakes.

This was the first time humanoid robots had tested their skills in real-world tea production conditions. Despite repeated failures, they eventually completed all the tasks.

Transporting tea along mountain roads improved their ability to navigate rough terrain. During the roasting stage, a thermal imaging monitoring system helped the robots achieve precise temperature control.

Fang Hainan, a representative of the robotics engineering team, said: “This real-world task enriched our robots’ training scenarios. We saw more opportunities for developing dexterous robotic hands. Of course, we also noticed there is still room for improvement. For example, some issues were identified in the gripping fingers. We will solve them by continuously refining and optimizing our products, and we will prepare humanoid robots to serve society.”

Using motion capture technology, the engineers collected a range of data. They are constantly optimizing and improving the flexible control of the five-fingered dexterous hand.

The traditional tea industry also saw the benefit: humanoid robots could help solve the labor shortage.

Wang Chuanyi, a master of traditional Fuding white tea preparation, shared his impressions: “This is my first time making tea with the help of robots. It’s very unusual. There are areas where the robots need improvement, but we believe they will become more and more sophisticated in the future.”

The tea-making competition is just the first stage of the promotional campaign for the Robot Games. As part of the campaign, robots will attempt to perform various tasks tailored to regional characteristics. The goal is to test their environmental adaptability, autonomous control and practical service capabilities.

The second World Humanoid Robot Games will be held in Beijing from August 22 to 26. The program includes more than 30 events showcasing the latest advances in embodied intelligence.

And now — a question to think about. If robots can already run half-marathons, roast tea and work on plantations — where is the line between machine and human? And when will they start not only doing physical work but also making decisions? The tea ceremony is an ancient art, passed down from master to student for centuries. Today, for the first time in thousands of years, something has stepped into this chain that has never been here before — iron, plastic and microchips. And they are not asking for permission. They simply arrived and started working.