Viral videos of the World Humanoid Robot Games show sprinting robots beating the human 100-meter record held by Usain Bolt—but also feature running robots crashing into barriers and falling down because they cannot readily stop running. A few fallen robots even break at the waist in a shower of sparks or catch on fire.

China's second World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off Saturday in Beijing. The spectacle comes as China pours money into its humanoid robot industry.

Getting a robot to run 100m faster than Usain Bolt is impressive. But how about a humanoid that can make you a cup of tea in your own kitchen?

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Physical Intelligence cofounder Sergey Levine said US robotics research relies on outsourcing cheap but reliable parts from China.

If we look back a few years, competition among humanoid robot companies seemed relatively straightforward: whoever could build a robot had a chance to