In the morning of September 3, a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
The approximately 70-minute grand military parade was not only a solemn ceremony to commemorate history, but also a concentrated display of the achievements of China’s defense industry in the new era. All equipment on display was domestically produced, active combat equipment, with a significant number of new equipment making their debut, highlighting the new face of military development.
Particularly striking was the debut of a formation of four-legged robots—intelligent equipment known as “robot wolves”—on the parade grounds. This historic moment marked the transition of embodied intelligence from the laboratory to the battlefield, ushering in a new chapter in unmanned and intelligent warfare.
Throughout military parades, tanks, missiles, and fighter jets have long been the core of displays. The appearance of the “robot wolves” sent a new signal: China’s military displays are no longer limited to traditional heavy equipment, but are placing intelligence and unmanned warfare on an equal footing with the might of steel.
According to CCTV News, the combat group of “robot wolves” has a clear division of labor:
- The “alpha wolf,” the frontmost member of the pack, is responsible for reconnaissance and detection, collecting target information and transmitting reconnaissance images. It can receive commands within a two-kilometer radius of itself.
- The “shooter,” equipped with a rifle and other strike payload, launches precision strikes on targets after receiving data transmitted by the reconnaissance and detection “robot wolves.”
- The comprehensive support “robot wolves” can carry approximately 20 kilograms of supplies and ammunition at a time.
CCTV News stated, “the “robot wolves” represent the transition from new-quality productivity to new-quality combat capability. This intelligent unmanned swarm combat method can provide special operations and infantry units with integrated swarm-style combat capabilities.”
More interestingly, this trend is not unique to China. The US Army also displayed the Q-UGV quadruped robots at 2025 military parade in Washington, D.C., alongside unmanned combat vehicles and drones, highlighting the concept of “human-machine teaming.” The nearly simultaneous signals released by China and the United States indicate that unmanned ground combat capabilities are being systematically incorporated into the development of major military powers worldwide.
The future land battlefield will no longer be a single, steel-like confrontation, but rather a three-dimensional combat network interwoven with a variety of unmanned platforms. Quadruped robots (such as “robot wolves”) are just one component. With the rapid advancement of information and intelligent technologies, land will usher in a more diverse range of embodied intelligent equipment:
- Bipedal robots:These take the form of humanoid mecha soldiers, handling complex workstation operations and in-cabin operations;
- Four-wheeled/multi-wheeled platforms: Such as unmanned off-road vehicles and unmanned wheeled combat vehicles, responsible for high-speed maneuvering and material transport;
- Tracked platforms:Such as unmanned tanks, providing high protection and heavy firepower support;
- Air defense robots:Such as the “Loyal Wingman” and unmanned laser cannons, forming low-altitude defense and countermeasure systems.
When these ground robots collaborate with fixed-wing and rotary-wing drones, forming an integrated air-ground unmanned combat group, they can weave a comprehensive, offensive and defensive firepower network. This network can extend sensory links, improve strike accuracy, and minimize casualties.
More importantly, this multi-level collaboration of “manned and unmanned, unmanned and unmanned” not only upgrades individual soldier tactics but also fundamentally reshapes the paradigm of warfare. The integration of embodied intelligence means that future battlefields will no longer be solely centered on “human versus human,” but will instead be centered around intelligent “human-machine-swarm” combat. This marks the beginning of an unprecedented new era in warfare.
From military parades to the industrial sector, the value of embodied intelligence is being redefined. The “robot wolves” at the parade were just the beginning, but they have already shown the world that unmanned, intelligent combat forces are becoming a reality. Behind this reality lies the enormous flywheel effect of the entire robotics industry. For the robotics industry, the real focus lies not in its brief debut, but in the long-term acceleration that will follow: embodied intelligence is expanding beyond national defense and security into a wide range of industries.
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