Around 100 robots at Hong Kong’s three-day InnoEX expo showed how far humanoids, robot dogs and service machines have advanced, while repeated stalls and shutdowns underscored a wide gap between polished demos and real-world performance.
Battery life emerged as the clearest constraint: a 2026 study cited at the event found that better autonomous bipedal movement drains existing power supplies faster, leaving even top humanoids hampered when not fully charged.
China’s lead was visible across the floor, with Shenzhen DX Intech pitching wheeled humanoids for customer service, Beijing’s Linkerbot highlighting highly dexterous hands, and Galbot demonstrating shelf-picking and delivery tasks.
Shenzhen’s EngineAI and UBTech, along with AgiBot and Unitree, also drew attention for fluid movement and commercial ambition, though some models were literally resting upright or moving erratically after extended use.
The overall takeaway from the expo and nearby real-world encounters in Shenzhen was that robots are spreading into shops, hotels and restaurants, but reliability, endurance and practical deployment still lag the hype.