The 2026 China Robot Competition & Robocup China Open was held in Beijing on May 4. Tsinghua University's Hephaestus Team delivered a dominant performance in the Large Size category of the Humanoid Group, overcoming successive opponents to win the championship.

Tsinghua’s Hephaestus Team defeated the China Agricultural University’s Qinghe Team 4-1 in the first round of the knockout stage, advancing to the semifinals.

Facing the SJTU Digital ShanHai Team of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the semifinals, the Hephaestus Team won a 7-2 victory, securing their spot in the finals.

In the championship match against the I-Kid Team of Beijing Information Science and Technology University, they claimed an 8-2 victory, successfully lifting the championship trophy in the Large Size category of the Humanoid Group at the 2026 RoboCup China Open.

Additionally, the Hephaestus Team won the championship in the Large Size category of the Humanoid Group Technical Challenge event, a testament to its all-round prowess in motion control.

Founded in 2004 by Zhao Mingguo, a researcher from the Department of Automation, Tsinghua’s Hephaestus Team achieved multiple accolades in 2025. These included the championship in the RoboCup Humanoid League Adult Size category and the inaugural 5v5 soccer championship at the World Humanoid Robot Games, achieving a historic breakthrough for a Chinese team.

Editor: Li Han