Robots packing a punch at Barcelona Mobile World Congress

Barcelona's MWC is a riot of robots and they're evolving fast…..but are we asking too much too soon?

Barcelona's Mobile World Congress annual tech fair is one of the biggest of its kind and this year there are more robots than ever before.

They're on every corner dancing, doing Tai Chi, politely answering absurd questions, and soon they might even be making your dinner.

At the China Mobile stand there's a fully automated robot restaurant with tray-wielding robots on wheels identifying and picking up objects, pouring drinks, and delivering food.

The idea is to eventually have robot chefs and waiters where you tap your card, order your food on a screen, with your food brought to you in minutes.

A few taps later and some robot circuits and my xiaolongbao dumplings are ready and waiting.

Unfortunately, they're plastic as this is just a demo.

So how soon before we see real world robot kitchens?

"I think it will be within one year," onsite expert JJ from China Mobile tells us. 

"We already have some working pilots in Hangzhou city, in the airport and with other corporations."

Unitree Robotics drew a crowd in Barcelona too with their boxing bots, the advances in a short space of time in strength, agility and balance are mindblowing.

These robots have been a viral sensation knocking each other out all over social media, and also starred in China's giant CMG Spring Festival show.

Beyond entertainment, robots have already taken over many logistics hubs and factories in China, which are going dark to save on electricity as the robots can work without light.

Many companies are focusing on humanoid robots that can be companions, help with elderly care and do housework like laundry and dishwashing.

The robot race is also an AI race, getting from generative AI to agentic, more intelligent and autonomous AI so that they can make their own decisions and act alone.

Unitree, XPeng, and AgiBot are leading the charge in China, directly competing with Tesla's Optimus Prime and Boston Dynamics. 

But one expert said we all need to relax a bit and curb our enthusiasm for robotics.

"We're asking too much, too soon, from robots," says Kate Darling of Boston Dynamics. "The change will come but we need to be patient."

She continued: "People's expectations never correspond with the reality of what these robots can do. It costs six-figure digits and they can surprise you, but people's expectations, including investors, are just too high."

As robots evolve in complexity from pre-programmed to autonomous and AI-driven, expect to see more of them everywhere, but maybe lower your expectations just a little.