At the 2026 World Robot Conference Forum, held in Beijing from August 19 to 22, Xi Ning, Chair of the Robotics Sub-committee at the Chinese Institute of Electronics and Chair Professor of Robotics and Automation at the University of Hong Kong, emphasized that research must be closely tied to practical applications.

He stated that research questions should be drawn from real-world use cases, and the results should be validated within those same application scenarios. Only through this iterative loop can truly implementable scientific outcomes be achieved.

Xi noted that, especially with the rise of physical artificial intelligence, the integration of research and application has become even more critical. The traditional model, which first conducts research and only later considers technology transfer, needs to be transformed.

He highlighted that robotics has already entered the era of artificial intelligence. AI provides new momentum for the development of robotics, and physical AI, in particular, opens up a host of fresh opportunities. The conventional approach must be reshaped to explore a novel pathway that enables research results to reach real-world deployment more quickly, delivering value to society at a faster pace.

Please note that this forum summary is compiled from on-site transcripts and has not been reviewed by the speaker.