World Robot Conference 2026: 4-meter-tall hybrid hydraulic-electric robot debuts as robots move away from the "human-like" era

The World Robot Conference 2026 showcased a new signal: the focus of robot competition is shifting from "how human-like it looks" to solving real problems. This year's conference had nearly 50,000 square meters of exhibition space, with 373 companies presenting 3,000 innovative products and 311 new product debuts. Non-traditional form-factor products for special environments such as nuclear power operations and maintenance, mining, and rescue became the focus, including a 4-meter-tall hybrid hydraulic-electric super-humanoid robot and a centaur wheel-legged robot. The article argues that industry competition will shift toward cost, reliability, and data accumulation, and that future value will depend on the combination of hardware, AI models, data closed loops, and commercial scenarios.