In a striking fusion of sport and technology, a humanoid robot named “Kuavo” developed by Leju Robot made a historic debut as a special torchbearer during the torch relay for China’s 15th National Games on Sunday, symbolizing a significant leap for the country’s embodied intelligence industry.
The black-and-white humanoid, designated the ceremonial “Zero Torchbearer”, completed a roughly 100-meter stretch during the relay in Shenzhen.
Billed as the world’s first humanoid robot torchbearer equipped with 5G-Advanced (5G-A) technology, Kuavo gripped a 1.6-kilogram torch and executed a handover between the second and third legs of the relay. Its running posture was described as lifelike, steady, and natural.
What exactly did the robot do?
There was some initial uncertainty about the robot’s precise role, but official reports confirm that Kuavo carried the torch as part of the relay. It did not light the main cauldron for the Games. The honor of lighting the main cauldron with a unified flame will take place at the opening ceremony on November 9.
The robot’s participation was a highlight of a landmark event. The relay was held simultaneously across Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen – the first time the Games have adopted a “three-region linkage, four-city simultaneous transmission” organizational format.
The “source flame” for the relay was itself unique, having been ignited using combustible ice collected from a depth of 1,522 meters in the South China Sea.
A technological triumph
Kuavo’s successful run was made possible by breakthroughs in three key technical areas: dynamic motion control, load-bearing stability, and remote real-time control via 5G-A. The robot’s motion-control algorithm for running was specifically optimized to enhance its disturbance resistance and adaptability to complex terrain.
Leveraging the low latency and high bandwidth of 5G-A technology, the development team enabled seamless interaction between real-time video feedback from the relay site and the remote-control stream.
This allowed operators in a control room to direct Kuavo’s every motion – from starting and running to waving and transferring the torch – as it moved through the crowd.
The robot was independently developed by Leju Robot with technical support from ecosystem partners, including China Mobile, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence.
Strategic context and industry momentum
The humanoid’s public debut comes at a pivotal time for its creator. Just weeks before the Games, Leju Robot secured a major $207 million in a pre-IPO funding round led by Greenwoods Asset Management.
This capital is earmarked for the mass production and technological advancement of its flagship humanoid robot, the “Kuavo” (an alternative romanization for Kuafu, a giant in Chinese myth), signaling a strong market confidence in the company’s technology.
This demonstration also aligns with broader national priorities. The Chinese government has shown a firm commitment to advancing its robotics and high-tech industries, with plans to invest nearly $140 billion in these sectors, explicitly naming humanoid robots as a frontier technology.
Reactions and significance
The appearance of Kuavo was met with excitement and was seen as more than just a spectacle. Analysts noted that the demonstration marked a milestone for Shenzhen’s embodied-intelligence industry, showing how robotics technologies are moving from laboratory experiments into complex, real-world scenarios.
The integration of advanced communication and motion-control systems illustrated practical applications of 5G-A-enabled robotics in large-scale public events.
The human element of the relay was also celebrated. The event featured 200 torchbearers across the four cities, including community representatives such as sanitation workers and delivery riders.
Su Jinji, a delivery rider and torchbearer in Guangzhou, captured the spirit, saying, “We ordinary people can also shine on this stage. Every effort will be seen and recognized at last.”
As the flames from the four cities were merged into a single flame in Guangzhou, the event not only built anticipation for the upcoming sports competitions but also served as a powerful symbol of a region, and a nation, steadily marching toward a high-tech future.
