Humanoid robots have showcased their talents at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. The event began on Thursday evening.

Amid a lot of stumbles and scrums the human-like bots showcased some advanced abilities. And there could be a billion of them around by 2050.

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 first World Humanoid Robot Games began Friday in Beijing. More than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer,

Over 500 robots competed in soccer, boxing, and running. In many cases, gravity was the real winner. This week, China’s leading robotics minds gathered in Beijing for a hotly-anticipated, Olympics-style event dubbed the world’s first “ Humanoid Robot Games. ”

About 500 robot athletes from 16 countries competed in Beijing as the United States and China race against each other to shape the future of AI.

Hangzhou-based Unitree, seen as a competitor to Tesla's Optimus, won multiple medals. Beijing-based X-Humanoid and Hong Kong-listed Shenzhen firm UBTECH also impressed. The Chinese government has targeted humanoid robots as a key future industry for the economy and Beijing has plans to build a world-class industry of humanoid robots by 2027.

In a display that was part Olympic spectacle, part slapstick comedy, the iWorld Humanoid Robot Games have just finished, leaving us breathing a sigh of relief that we aren't going to be taken over by robot overlords just yet.

The first World Humanoid Robot Games concluded in Beijing after three days of competition featuring 280 teams from 16 countries, according to CNBC. Robots built by Chinese firms Unitree, Booster, X-Humanoid,

Humanoid robots raced and punched their way through three days of a multi-sport competition at the World Humanoid Robot Games, wrapping up Sunday in Beijing. The games featured more than 500 humanoids on 280 teams from 16 countries,

The competition among tech companies, research institutions, and schools is held in Beijing from Aug. 15 to Aug. 17.

China has invested heavily in robotics. The country is a leader in industrial robots per capita and has just hosted the first "World Humanoid Robot Games" in Beijing.