Twelve projects received awards at the finals of the Intelligent Robot Championship of the 2026 National Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition, recently held in Luohu District. 

The event drew 32 finalist teams selected from 290 registered projects nationwide. The first-place project earned a place in the national finals, while the top 10 projects were qualified for the competition’s field finals.

The championship was hosted by the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei National Technology Innovation Center, co-organized by the Luohu District People’s Government and Shenzhen Guarantee Group, and supported by several Shenzhen and Luohu technology and investment organizations.

This year’s competition attracted entries from 33 cities and regions across China. Projects covered five fields: artificial intelligence and software, intelligent sensors, actuators and materials, application systems, and intelligent low-altitude aircraft. They ranged from embodied intelligence, humanoid and medical robots, brain-computer interfaces and exoskeletons to low-altitude aircraft, with potential applications in manufacturing, healthcare, urban governance, deep-sea operations and the low-altitude economy.

Organizers said several finalists had overcome performance and cost constraints, developing technologies with distinct competitive advantages. A panel of scientists, industry specialists, users and investors assessed the projects across seven dimensions, including market demand and technological disruption. The 12 winners comprised one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes and six innovation awards, sharing a total of 1 million yuan (US$149,400) in prize money.

The finals followed a September 23 matchmaking event in Luohu, where representatives from 32 teams in 10 Chinese cities met government departments, businesses and investors to discuss partnerships and commercialization. The teams’ projects spanned AI, sensors, robotics components, application systems and low-altitude aircraft.

Intelligent robotics is a strategic field at the intersection of AI and advanced manufacturing. Shenzhen’s established robotics supply chain and innovation ecosystem provide a base for developing and applying technologies in areas such as intelligent manufacturing, algorithms, materials and core components. The championship is a competition platform under the National Key R&D Program’s Disruptive Technology Innovation Key Special Project, intended to identify technologies that could challenge established technical approaches and reshape industries.