Recently, the world's first humanoid robot free combat league, Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL), organized by EngineAI, kicked off its opening bout in Shenzhen. Meanwhile, the story of Zhao Tongyang, founder and CEO of EngineAI, who was knocked down by a kick from his own T800 robot yet was delighted by the outcome, gained public attention through the video series "Beacon Over Lingnan."

EngineAI's T800 humanoid robot has been dubbed by global netizens as "the strongest fighter of its kind, without a doubt," a reputation built not on luck but on genuine technological breakthroughs. Over the past two decades, humanoid robots worldwide have generally struggled with bent knees, hunched postures, and stiff gaits, as the industry remained constrained by challenges in motion control. EngineAI tackled these technical hurdles and became the first to enable robots to walk with straight legs and upright knees in long, confident strides.

But Zhao Tongyang sees a bigger picture. More critical than "natural gait" is the infusion of a "soul" into humanoid robots. As an industryof the future integrating artificial intelligence, precision manufacturing and motion control, humanoid robots derive their "soul" from their operating systems—the AI brain that powers them. Today, several leading overseas companies have begun following this technological path pioneered by Chinese teams.

EngineAI's breakthrough is not an isolated case. In Guangdong, the "four 90% figures" are often cited: around 90% of research institutions, scientific researchers, R&D funding and invention patent applications come from enterprises. Guangdong now has 77,000 high-tech enterprises, ranking first nationwide. Enterprises lead over 76% of funding for science and technology projectsat the provincial level, and participate in over 97% of such projects. This enterprise-driven innovation ecosystem has enabled Guangdong's technological breakthroughs to move beyond laboratories and directly target market demand and applications, accelerating their transformation into productive forces.

给人形机器人注入“灵魂”，关键在于掌握创新“命脉”

近日，众擎URKL全球人形机器人自由格斗联赛在深圳正式打响揭幕战，与此同时，众擎机器人创始人兼首席执行官赵同阳被自家T800机器人一脚踹翻却满心欢喜的故事，通过《思想耀岭南》系列视频走进大众视野。

众擎T800人形机器人被全球网友称为“最能打，没有之一”，靠的不是运气，而是实打实的技术突破。过去二十年，全球人形机器人普遍屈膝弯腰、步态僵硬，行业长期卡在运动控制的技术关口。众擎埋头攻坚啃下硬骨头，第一次让机器人直腿直膝、大步流星走路。

但赵同阳看得更远，比“自然步态”更关键的，是给人形机器人注入“灵魂”。作为人工智能、精密制造、运动控制交叉融合的未来产业，人形机器人的“灵魂”在于操作系统，即AI大脑。如今，海外多家头部企业开始效仿这条由中国团队蹚出的技术路线。

众擎的突围不是孤例。在广东，“4个90%”常被提及——约90%的科研机构、科研人员、研发经费和发明专利申请来源于企业。全省高新技术企业达7.7万家，居全国首位；企业牵头省级科技项目金额占比超76%，参与项目数量超97%。这种以企业为主体的创新格局，让广东的技术突破不再停留在实验室，而是直接面向市场、面向应用，加快转化为生产力。

文｜李妹妍
译｜魏薇
英文审校｜曾敏