The global race for humanoid supremacy has just seen a new contender vault over the competition—quite literally. The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has begun teasing its upcoming Tienkung 3.0, a bipedal machine that can reportedly scale a one-metre wall using just a single hand, a feat of agility that would put most of our CrossFit sessions to shame.
This athletic display points to a massive leap in agility and power-to-weight ratio over the previous Tienkung 2.0. The new iteration appears significantly trimmer, an upgrade bankrolled by a fresh 700 million RMB investment—roughly £77 million. This substantial war chest comes courtesy of heavy hitters including the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund and strategic backing from the likes of Baidu.
Why this actually matters
This is far more than a robot performing a glorified pull-up. Executing dynamic, asymmetrical movements—such as hoisting an entire body weight with a single limb—is a nightmare of a challenge in robotics. It requires incredibly sophisticated balance, explosive power, and real-time control systems that can react in milliseconds.
With £77 million in the bank and a sprawling 9,700-square-metre testing facility at its disposal, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center isn’t just producing flashy demos for social media. It is signaling a major acceleration in China’s bid to dominate an increasingly crowded humanoid market, turning up the heat on established Western players. The infusion of capital and the impending launch of Tienkung 3.0 confirms the centre is transitioning from pure R&D into a serious phase of commercial scaling and industrial deployment.
