From August 14 to 17, the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games was grandly held in Beijing. Among the highlights of this globally watched event was the large-scale human–robot dance performance “Soul of the Terracotta Warriors”, jointly presented by Guanggu Dongzhi and the Beijing Dance Academy. Nine humanoid “Photon” robots performed seamlessly alongside a dancer, bringing to life a traditional Chinese dance inspired by the famed Terracotta Army. With powerful drumbeats driving the rhythm, their movements were precise and their formations perfectly coordinated. In the end, they scored an impressive 92.54 points to claim the championship, showcasing China’s formidable strength in the field of humanoid robotics.
Less known is the fact that behind this championship team lies a strong Dongguan DNA— Guanggu Dongzhi is an innovative enterprise jointly established by Dongguan-based HEC Group, AgiBot, Beijing Dance Academy, PsiBot, and other partners. With a clear core mission, the company aims to bridge the “last mile” from humanoid robot development to real-world industry application. This championship victory marks a significant milestone in advancing this goal.
For HEC’s intelligent robotics business, 2025 marks a milestone year of extraordinary significance. In the first half of this year, HEC officially announced its entry into the embodied intelligence industry, signaling its bold advance into this cutting-edge field. In July, its first interactive service robot, “Photon”, made a dazzling debut at the Third China International Supply Chain Expo. Standing 1.7 meters tall and equipped with a vertical-domain large model, it can flexibly handle diverse scenarios such as exhibition guidance and government consultation. The robot has already secured small-batch commercial orders, taking a solid step toward large-scale commercialization.
During the group dance competition at this World Humanoid Robot Games, nine “Photon” humanoid robots, developed by Guanggu Dongzhi, transformed into terracotta warriors. Dressed in 3D-printed Qin dynasty-style armor, they performed “Soul of the Terracotta Warriors” alongside a dancer portraying a general. At times, the robots beat Jiangzhou drums with thundering beats; at other times, they moved gracefully to the rhythm, shifting formations seamlessly. Their performance vividly recreated the majestic atmosphere of “the general commanding the army with drumbeats,” perfectly blending technology with traditional culture.
“This is a major breakthrough in humanoid robot motion control technology by our team,” said Lou Kaiqi, Deputy General Manager of Guanggu Dongzhi, unable to contain his excitement. He revealed that during early rehearsals, the robots frequently lost balance and fell when performing intense movements. To tackle this challenge, the team implemented optimizations in both hardware and algorithms: they not only increased the power capacity of the batteries and drive motors to provide stronger dynamic support but also focused on improving coordination between upper and lower limb movements. Through repeated adjustments, they ultimately achieved stable and smooth performances on stage.
The competition’s organizing committee gave high praise to the “Soul of the Terracotta Warriors,” noting that this achievement not only represents a significant breakthrough by Guanggu Dongzhi in motion control and multi-robot collaboration technologies for embodied AI robots but also demonstrates a new height in the integration of Chinese technology and culture. It provides a valuable example for the industry’s development.
As a key partner of Guanggu Dongzhi, Dongguan-based HEC Group has consistently kept a close watch on technological innovations in the field of embodied intelligence. The breakthroughs in motion control and multi-robot coordination achieved by the “Photon” robots represent a significant outcome of HEC’s active efforts to promote the practical application of robotic technology, fully demonstrating its foresight and strategic vision in the technology sector.
On the evening of August 14, HEC released an impressive semi-annual performance report. According to the data, Guanggu Dongzhi has already secured its first batch of market-oriented orders worth 70 million yuan, generating 11.19 million yuan in revenue in the first half of the year. Once the first phase of its factory in Hubei is completed, annual production capacity will reach 300 units; preparations for the second-phase expansion are now accelerating, which will provide strong capacity support for technological implementation. At the same time, the company’s “1+5+N” product matrix strategy is steadily advancing the development of humanoid robots toward practical, large-scale application—making the future highly promising.
