On the 3rd (local time), at Hall 7 of Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain, where the world's largest mobile exhibition, "MWC 2026," is being held. A boxing match took place here. The first fighter to step into the ring was a 180-centimeter-tall Namsung with a muscular build. The opponent was the G1 robot from China's Unitree, the world's No. 2 Humanoid Robot maker. The G1 robot is 130 centimeters tall and weighs 35 kilograms.
When the Namsung threw a punch, the G1 robot briefly stepped back and then resumed its attack. It fell during the bout but sprang up in an instant. Even after taking five punches in a row, it was unfazed. Then it fell backward, and the countdown began. "Five, four, three." The G1 robot did not give up, got back up, and continued the match. The next bout was between robots. Perhaps because it was a contest between the same weight class, it was full of energy.
MWC 2026's theme, "The IQ Era," refers to a mobile ecosystem expanding beyond smartphones to physical "physical AI" terminals such as robots and Autonomous Driving cars. The Humanoid Robot is one of the product categories that best reflects physical AI. That is because artificial intelligence (AI) technology has moved beyond simple information processing to interact with the real world and perform physical tasks. In the IQ era, robots are evolving into intelligent systems that learn and make decisions on their own.
◇ From serving champagne to delivery … the boundless potential of robots
At the booth of AgiBot, the No. 1 Humanoid Robot company headquartered in Shanghai, China, a robot wearing a red bow tie and a waiter's outfit was on display. With a tray in each hand holding a glass of water meant to mimic champagne, it repeatedly sat down and stood up. The water in the champagne flutes stayed still and stable. Right next to it, the Ultra D1 robot dog showed a tumbling move after jumping more than 30 centimeters. An AgiBot representative said, "The D1 can carry up to 8 kilograms on its back, so it can be used for deliveries."
AgiBot said it will begin global sales of its robots at MWC 2026, accelerating its market expansion. AgiBot's announcement shows that China's Humanoid Robot industry is rapidly shifting to a practical stage.
Many of the Humanoid Robots exhibited at this year's MWC were Chinese products. According to market research firm Omdia, of the 13,317 Humanoid Robots shipped last year, 87% were made by Chinese companies. AgiBot and Unitree accounted for 5,168 units (39%) and 4,200 units (32%), respectively, taking a combined 71% share of the market. Shipments are still small, but Omdia projected they will reach 2.6 million units by 2035.
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the MWC organizer, announced it will launch the "Mobile AI Innovation Initiative," a new industry consortium to accelerate the integration of AI into mobile networks and infrastructure in partnership with China's three major telecom operators (China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom). Notably, AgiBot will join as one of 30 strategic partners, which include Alibaba Cloud and Intel.
◇ Global telecom companies also race in robot technology
China Mobile showcased a restaurant run solely by robots. When an order was placed on a tablet, a staff of four robots began service. A waiter robot slowly lifted a tray so another robot could place a plate of dumplings on it. It then moved slowly to a Humanoid Robot that poured tea, and the main robot took an apple out of the refrigerator and handed it to the last worker. When all orders were ready, the waiter robot took them to the cashier. A China Mobile representative said, "The company's AI model 'Lingxi' and cloud technology were integrated," adding, "The four robots collaborate as a single team to handle ordering, cooking, serving, and payment." The person added, "The accuracy of this process is 92%."
At the China Telecom booth, a Humanoid Robot picked up a brush and wrote calligraphy. It wrote the character for "blessing" (福) better than a person. Adjusting even the slightest tremor, it took about 30 seconds to complete the calligraphy.
At the LG Uplus booth, the combination of an AI agent and an intelligent robot was on display. When a husband called and said, "A business trip suddenly came up for tomorrow," the ixi-O Pro grasped the context of the call and instructed a Humanoid Robot to pack items for the trip. The robot pulled a suitcase on its own and began packing. It showed a robot that thinks and acts on its own without user commands.
Shi Hanbo Qian, GSMA's head of Greater China, said, "For AI to be practically applied to life, low latency, programmability, and secure connectivity are essential," adding, "Mobile networks provide the foundation for next-generation AI development."
Wang Feng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said, "With demographic changes and rising labor costs, the robot market has great potential, and demand is expanding across various fields such as health care, elder care, and household services," adding, "However, because safety standards have not been established, there will be considerable challenges before robots are widely introduced into everyday life."
Meanwhile, MWC 2026 also revealed the limits of Humanoid Robots. At the MagicLab booth, two robots were sprawled on a sofa, and one robot was leaning against it. A MagicLab representative said, "They need to recharge their batteries, so the robots are resting."