Audiences interact with robot products at the 11th World Robot Conference in Beijing on August 19, 2026. Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT

　　The 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC) opened in Beijing on Wednesday, with both the exhibition area and the number of exhibitors hitting record highs. Beyond showcases of new technologies from individual companies, this year"s conference puts more weight on cases that can be deployed in actual application scenarios.

　　Themed "Human-Robot Symbiosis, Production Demand Convergence," the conference has drawn more than 300 exhibitors, up 36 percent year-on-year, presenting over 2,000 exhibits that include more than 150 products making their global debut.

　　The roughly 50,000-square-meter exhibition area is divided into four halls, and for the first time features a dedicated zone for centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs), where 49 central SOEs are jointly displaying 12 application scenarios. The conference agenda is centered around four theme days — a release day, a procurement day, a developer day and a public open day.

　　A "robot consumption street" is created on site for the first time, selling meals and drinks made on the spot by robot chefs. The organizing committee will also launch a program that provides mass-produced humanoid robots, quadruped robots and dexterous hands free of charge to innovation teams worldwide for trials in real-world settings.