From August 8 to 12, the 2025 World Robot Conference (WRC), organized by the Chinese Institute of Electronics (CIE) and the World Robot Cooperation Organization (WRCO), was grandly held at the Beijing Beiren Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center. Themed "Making Robots Smarter, Making Embodied Agents More Intelligent," the WRC gathered leading experts from 32 countries and regions, along with over 200 globally renowned robotics companies and research institutions.
As a long-term participant and organizer of the World Robot Contest, YSU's Brain-Computer Interface and Intelligent Rehabilitation Research Team (BCIR Team) delivered an exceptional performance at this year's contest, achieving historic breakthroughs in areas including event coordination, technological innovation, and scientific competitions. The team received one "Top Ten Technological Innovation Achievement" award, one "Outstanding Organization Award", and a total of six competition awards including a Grand Prize, highlighting YSU's leading technical expertise and innovation capabilities in BCI research.
The BCI Brain Control Robot Competition under the World Robot Contest, a signature event of the WRC, is jointly organized by CIE and Tsinghua University with the guidance from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). YSU has consistently served as one of the competition's co-organizers. Focusing on the collaborative development of BCI technology and industry, the competition aims to nurture innovative talent and facilitate the translation of research outcomes into practical applications and industrial development in healthcare and other related fields.
YSU's BCIR Team at the Roadshow and Competition
YSU's BCIR Team, leveraging its self-developed wearable rehabilitation robotic hand, initiated and established a specialized competition titled "BCI-Based Cooperative Control for Rehabilitation Robotic Hands" that centers on the BCI technology. The team was honored with the "Outstanding Organization Award" by the Organizing Committee of the World Robot Contest. The technical competition attracted attention and participation from 15 institutions, including Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, and the University of Macau. It has established a high-level platform to advance the development of clinical intelligent rehabilitation and foster technical exchange in the field of BCI. The team's self-developed "Mind in Motion: A Brain-Limb Synergistic Intelligent Rehabilitation and Self-Care System" was presented as a roadshow project at the World Robot Contest and received the "Top Ten Technological Innovation Achievement" award. The system creatively accomplishes real-time collaborative control between the EEG signal-based intention decoding and physical limb movements, earning high praise from competition judge Professor Gao Xiaorong of Tsinghua University for its cutting-edge technical concept and broad application prospects.
Award Presentation at the Opening Ceremony of the WRC
Award Certificate
YSU's BCIR Team demonstrated solid technical proficiency and outstanding on-site performance across multiple specialized BCI competitions, earning one Grand Prize in "Non-Invasive BCI-Based Motor Rehabilitation Training", two Second Prizes and three Third Prizes in categories including "Brain-Controlled Wheelchair", "Brain-Controlled Quadruped Robot", and "Brain-Controlled Drone Interaction System". These results represent the best performance achieved by YSU since its participation in the World Robot Contest, underscoring the team's technical capabilities in EEG signal processing, pattern recognition, and rehabilitation robotics.
At the exhibition area, YSU's BCIR Team presented a series of engaging and educational BCI interactive demonstrations, such as the brain-controlled robotic arm, brain-controlled popcorn machine, and brain-controlled racing car. These exhibits attracted considerable interest from participants, accumulating over 1,000 trial experiences. They also drew extensive attention from news media, investors, and representatives from educational institutions, effectively enhancing public understanding and awareness of advanced BCI technology.
Looking ahead, the School of Continuing Education (Institute of Life Health and Intelligent Medicine), the School of Electrical Engineering, and the Health-Care Industrial Technology Research Institute at YSU will deepen integration and further advance the development of the "Clinic-Lab-Industry" Synergy Platform. These efforts will accelerate the industrial application of BCI technology in smart healthcare, translate competition achievements into practical technologies and products, benefit patients, and support the Healthy China Initiative.
