National competition in Shapingba District draws more than 100 teams developing robotics technologies for real-world deployment

CHONGQING, China, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A national robotics competition held this month in Chongqing offered a look at China’s efforts to move embodied artificial intelligence out of research laboratories and into commercial use.

The finals of the 11^th “Maker in China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest for Intelligent Biomimetic Robots concluded Sept. 11 in Chongqing’s Shapingba District. The three-day national competition drew more than 100 teams from across China, with projects spanning biomimetic robotics, industrial automation and AI systems designed to perceive and interact with the physical world. 

Alongside the competition, organizers arranged meetings involving companies, universities and research institutions, as well as discussions aimed at technology transfer, financing and local deployment. The event formed part of a national program intended to support innovative SMEs with specialized technologies. Its theme was “Pushing Tech Frontiers, Unleashing Creativity.”

The competition comprised 13 tracks, covering work ranging from foundational research to systems approaching commercial deployment. Teams in the startup category competed in three broad areas: cutting-edge technologies, core enabling technologies and specialized applications. Their projects focused in part on the hardware, software and control systems underpinning the next generation of robots.

Teams in the enterprise category, by contrast, tested systems designed for real-world use in the electric power, healthcare and service sectors. The emphasis was on whether the technologies could perform reliably in operating environments and be scaled for broader deployment.

Many of the entries targeted technical bottlenecks that have limited the wider deployment of robotic systems. Projects included multi-robot coordination and task-scheduling systems for warehouses; assistive exoskeletons for older adults and rehabilitation patients; biomimetic robots for inspecting electric power infrastructure; miniature hummingbird-inspired flapping-wing drones; and robots capable of folding clothing autonomously. Together, the projects illustrated the range of engineering approaches Chinese developers are pursuing as they seek practical applications for embodied AI.

The competition also served as a venue for financing and business-development discussions, and several participating projects announced plans to establish operations in Shapingba. At the closing ceremony, the Shapingba District government signed letters of intent with SIASUN Robot & Automation Co., Ltd. and Chentu Technology, among other companies. ZTE also signed letters of intent with teams from Zhejiang University and Xi’an Jiaotong University.

Shapingba is seeking to establish itself as a center for embodied AI within Chongqing’s broader robotics supply chain. The value of the district’s robotics output rose 233% from a year earlier during the first seven months of 2026, according to local government data.

The Sanya EDITION in Haitang Bay, Sanya, presents Li ethnic culture, contemporary performances and festive evening experiences

September 25 to October 4, 2026 | Haitang Bay, Sanya, Hainan

SANYA, China, Sept. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the Mid-Autumn Festival and China National Day holidays arrive in autumn 2026, Hainan’s luxury resort market enters a new chapter of elevated holiday experiences. Located in the heart of Haitang Bay’s coastal resort area in Sanya, The Sanya EDITION, a luxury hotel brand under Marriott International, will present a series of festive celebrations from September 25 to October 4, 2026.

Bringing together local cultural experiences and immersive festive programming, the hotel introduces a new approach to holiday hospitality that combines cultural immersion with innovative event experiences.

Set against panoramic views of the South China Sea and the hotel’s signature 20,000-square-meter Private Ocean, The Sanya EDITION combines contemporary luxury with the cultural heritage of Hainan. The festive program brings together Li ethnic intangible cultural heritage, traditional Chinese festive rituals and contemporary light and performance art.

The program includes Li ethnic music and dance, traditional Chinese iron flower performances, floating lanterns and spectacular drone light shows. These experiences are complemented by coastal dining, ocean activities, sports and family programming, as well as a full-moon art installation at the bamboo-lined pool in the hotel’s lobby.

Through a combination of cultural programming, nighttime experiences, coastal leisure and family activities, The Sanya EDITION offers guests a different way to experience the China National Holiday in Hainan, while contributing to the continued development of premium tourism experiences on Hainan International Tourism Island.

The signature evening celebrations will take place on September 25, September 30, October 1 and October 4 from 8:00 PM to 8:45 PM. Traditional festive culture will meet contemporary light and performance art, bringing together the natural character of the island, local cultural heritage and the relaxed atmosphere of a luxury resort.

Mid-Autumn Festival Special Program

Li Ethnic Band Performance | September 25, 8:00 PM–8:15 PM

The Mid-Autumn Festival evening begins with local Hainan culture. A Li ethnic band will perform live at the hotel, bringing the distinctive sounds and cultural character of Hainan to the festive evening.

For international and Hong Kong and Macau travelers visiting Hainan, Li ethnic music offers a direct connection to the island’s local culture and heritage within a contemporary resort setting.

Light Arc Dance Performance | September 25, 8:15 PM–8:25 PM

Following the Li ethnic music performance, the Light Arc dance performance combines choreography and lighting to create a contemporary nighttime spectacle. Traditional festive atmosphere transitions naturally into a modern performance setting against the nightscape of Haitang Bay.

Iron Flower Performance | September 25, 8:25 PM–8:30 PM

The traditional iron flower performance is one of the highlights of the Mid-Autumn Festival evening. Featuring sparks and fire as its central visual elements, the performance creates a distinctive festive scene in the night sky and introduces guests to a traditional Chinese folk art form.

Floating Lanterns | September 25, 8:30 PM–8:45 PM

The Mid-Autumn Festival program concludes with floating lanterns. Guests can take part in this festive ritual surrounded by the nightscape of Haitang Bay and the hotel’s Private Ocean, creating a memorable moment to close the evening.

China National Holiday

During China National Holiday, The Sanya EDITION will continue its evening festive program.

September 30, October 1 and October 4 | 8:00 PM–8:45 PM

Li Ethnic Band Performance | 8:00 PM–8:15 PM

Light Arc Dance Performance | 8:15 PM–8:25 PM

Iron Flower Performance | 8:25 PM–8:30 PM

Spectacular Drone Show | October 1 and October 4, 8:30 PM–8:45 PM

Festive Dining in Sanya

Beyond the evening celebrations, The Sanya EDITION offers a diverse collection of dining and lifestyle spaces, including Market at EDITION, Best of Hainan, Xian Hai by the Sea, The Jade Egret, Beach Barbacoa, Beach Club and Sky Bar.

During the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and China National Day Golden Week, the hotel will introduce a series of limited-time dining experiences featuring Hainanese flavors, international guest chef menus, immersive culinary experiences and seasonal afternoon tea.

The program offers guests visiting Haitang Bay a range of dining experiences throughout the festive period.

September 25 to 26 | Sky Bar

Sky Bar welcomes Tonic Liu, drinks writer and head of Maltail, for an exclusive guest bartending experience. Ranked No.68 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026, Maltail brings together classic techniques and contemporary creativity through a distinctive exploration of Asian cocktail culture.

October 1 to 6 | “Hainan Flavors” Buffet at Market at EDITION

Market at EDITION will showcase Hainanese ingredients and regional flavors through a selection of local specialties, including Black Mountain goat, Wujiao pig, local Hainan yellow cattle and fresh seafood.

The menu brings together distinctive ingredients from across Hainan, offering guests an introduction to the island’s culinary traditions and local food culture.

October 2 to 3 | Speakeasy & TING by Frédéric Jaros

Speakeasy at Sky Bar will collaborate with TING by Frédéric Jaros to present a limited-time immersive culinary theater experience. The program combines cuisine, desserts, flavors and art to create a distinctive dining experience during the China National Day holiday.

October 2 to 3 | Beach Club

Beach Club welcomes Sven Liu, Gin Brand Ambassador at Pernod Ricard China, for a special guest shift featuring a selection of inspired cocktails. From the cherry notes of the Black Forest to the fresh yuzu aromas of Japan’s coast, and finally a sweet, fruit-and-tea martini inspired by London, each cocktail captures the spirit of an island summer.

October 2 to 4 | The Jade Egret & Thomas Bühner

The Jade Egret will welcome acclaimed chef Thomas Bühner for a limited-time menu.

Formerly at the helm of La Vie, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Germany, Thomas Bühner will bring his European culinary expertise and contemporary approach to flavors to this special dining experience at The Sanya EDITION.

Ocean, Sports and Family Resort Experiences

For families and international travelers planning a trip to Hainan during China National Day Golden Week, the festive program at The Sanya EDITION extends beyond the evening celebrations.

Located in Haitang Bay, Sanya, the resort features its signature Private Ocean, Beach Club and a range of sports facilities. During the day, guests can enjoy ocean and water activities, tennis, Padel and pickleball before joining the evening festive program.

This approach offers an alternative to the traditional sightseeing-focused Sanya holiday. Guests do not need to choose between staying at the resort and experiencing the destination. Ocean activities, sports, dining, local culture and nighttime entertainment can all be experienced within one resort destination.

An Island Holiday for Mid-Autumn Festival and China National Day

For travelers from Hong Kong, Macau and international markets, Sanya is one of China’s most distinctive island resort destinations. The Mid-Autumn Festival and China National Day Golden Week also provide an important holiday period for family trips to Hainan.

At The Sanya EDITION, the 2026 festive season brings together local culture, contemporary performance, dining, ocean experiences, sports and family activities, offering travelers a contemporary island holiday experience in Haitang Bay, Sanya.

For more information, please visit official website:
The Sanya EDITION | Luxury Boutique Hotel in Haitang Bay with Pool
Instagram: @editionsanya

ABOUT EDITION HOTELS 

EDITION Hotels is an unexpected and refreshing collection of individualized, customized, one-of-a-kind hotels that redefines the codes of traditional luxury. Displaying the best of dining and entertainment, services, and amenities “all under one roof,” each EDITION property is unique, reflecting the best cultural and social milieu of its location and time. Each hotel, with its individuality, authenticity, originality, and unique ethos, reflects the current spirit and zeitgeist of its location. Although all the hotels look completely different, the brand’s unifying aesthetic is in its approach and attitude to the modern lifestyle rather than its appearance. EDITION is about a mindset and how it makes you feel rather than the way it looks. Sophisticated public spaces, finishes, design, and details serve the experience rather than drive it. For an underserved market of affluent, culturally savvy, and service-savvy guests, the EDITION experience and lifestyle explores the unprecedented intersection and the perfect balance between taste-making design and innovation and consistent, excellent service globally. EDITION currently operates 23 hotels in New York and Times Square, Miami Beach, West Hollywood, Tampa, Barcelona, Bodrum, London, Reykjavik, Madrid, Rome, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sanya China, Shanghai, Tokyo Toranomon, Singapore, Riviera Maya at Kanai, Mexico, a second in Tokyo Ginza, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Lake Como.

The latest update introduces interactive extra-large widget hubs, adaptive layouts for iPhone Duo, and AI-assisted Home Screen personalization.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — iScreen, a mobile customization app for iOS and Android, today announced a new round of features and content designed around iOS 27, expanding the ways users can personalize their Home Screens with widgets, themes and emerging display formats.

The update highlights new experiences built around iOS 27’s extra-large widget format, theme layouts optimized for iPhone Duo, and a new collection of iOS 27-inspired visual styles. iScreen is also expanding its exploration of AI-assisted personalization through AI Home Screen Designer, offering a more intuitive way to create coordinated screen setups.

Extra-Large Widgets Unlock New Home Screen Experiences

With the expanded widget dimensions available in iOS 27, iScreen is introducing new experiences designed specifically for the larger canvas, going beyond simply scaling up existing widget formats.

The new collection features a variety of extra-large widgets, including Photo, Album, Music, Calendar, Interactive Refrigerator and Quick Launch widgets, giving users new ways to display content, interact with their Home Screen and access frequently used functions. iScreen also supports customizable extra-large widgets, allowing users to personalize content, layouts and visual styles to create more functional and expressive Home Screen experiences.

Theme Layouts Optimized for iPhone Duo

To accommodate the new screen proportions and display dimensions of iPhone Duo, iScreen has optimized selected theme resources for the device’s current screen format.

Wallpapers, widgets, icons and overall Home Screen layouts have been adjusted to better fit the new proportions while maintaining a balanced and cohesive visual experience.

Looking ahead, iScreen plans to further explore layout behavior, widget adaptation and visual continuity across different display states as new device formats create additional possibilities for mobile personalization.

iOS 27-Inspired Themes for a Cohesive New Look

Alongside its widget and device-format updates, iScreen has introduced a new collection of iOS 27-inspired themes reflecting the latest visual trends in iPhone customization.

The collection brings together coordinated wallpapers, transparent-style widgets, icons and other visual elements. By combining these assets into complete setups, users can create a polished and consistent Home Screen without having to manually search for and match individual elements.

AI-Assisted Home Screen Design

iScreen is also exploring how AI can make Home Screen personalization faster and more intuitive. AI Home Screen Designer can generate coordinated design suggestions based on a user’s preferences for style, color and visual elements, combining wallpapers, widgets and icons into a unified setup.

The feature is currently available to a limited group of users for testing. iScreen will continue refining the generation experience based on user feedback and plans to gradually expand availability.

“Personalization is shifting from static aesthetics to dynamic, context-aware experiences,” said the iScreen creative team. “With iOS 27’s larger widgets and iPhone Duo’s dual-display format, this update delivers deeper visual immersion and automated tools that simplify creating a cohesive Home Screen setup.”

About iScreen

iScreen is a mobile customization app providing widgets, wallpapers and themed layouts for iOS and Android devices. Ranking among the top home screen customization platforms worldwide, iScreen has more than 100 million users and has been featured by Apple Editorial in 128 countries for five consecutive days. With interactive and decorative options, iScreen enables users to personalize both Home Screens and Lock Screens for a more immersive mobile experience.

Official Website: iScreen – Phone Style, iScreen it!

iOS Download: ‎‎iScreen – Widgets & Wallpaper App – App Store ‎

Android Download: iScreen Google Play

Arrival further strengthens the firm’s premier Antitrust & Competition Practice in Europe and enhances its unrivalled global platform.

PARIS, Sept. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Latham & Watkins is pleased to announce that Victor Levy has joined the firm’s Paris office as partner in its Antitrust & Competition Practice. Levy advises on competition law matters, with particular experience in merger control filings before the European Commission, the French Competition Authority, and other competition authorities globally, as well as complex antitrust investigations and follow-on damages claims before competition authorities and Courts.

Levy has extensive experience across sectors including aerospace and defense, consumer goods, and industrials.

“We are thrilled to welcome Victor to the firm,” said Thomas Margenet-Baudry, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in Paris. “Our Paris office is a powerhouse in the French market, with exceptional strength across our transactional and regulatory practices. Antitrust and competition is central to that success, an essential component of our market-leading transactional and litigation platforms and a formidable go-to practice. Victor brings deep experience in complex domestic and cross-border antitrust matters for French and international clients that complements our existing strengths and further enhances the sophisticated, integrated advice we provide to clients in France, across Europe, and globally. His arrival reflects our ambition to continue investing in the very best talents and to remain at the forefront of the market for years to come.”

Latham’s Antitrust & Competition Practice is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier antitrust platforms, delivering sophisticated, coordinated advice across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The firm advises and represents clients on many of their most significant and complex global transactions, cartel investigations, and disputes, combining deep antitrust experience with market-leading litigation and trial capabilities. The Paris competition practice, like that of the Brussels office, is ranked Band 1 / Tier 1 in the legal directories. The addition of Levy further strengthens the firm’s European and Paris bench and enhances its ability to guide clients through an increasingly complex and interconnected global competition and regulatory landscape.

“The addition of Victor underscores the continued strength and momentum of our global practice,” said Lawrence Buterman, Global Chair of Latham’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “Our platform brings together leading antitrust lawyers across the United States, Europe, and Asia who are increasingly called upon by our clients to lead and coordinate representations on complex transactions and litigation matters spanning multiple jurisdictions. Victor brings outstanding credentials and deep experience that will further strengthen our ability to deliver integrated and global solutions at the highest level.”

“We have known Victor for many years and have long held him in the highest regard,” said Jacques-Philippe Gunther, Antitrust & Competition partner in Paris. “He is definitely one of the best of his generation, and his unique combination of economic and legal expertise makes him a real additional strength to our talented team.”

Paris Antitrust & Competition partner, Adrien Giraud also commented: “Victor brings extensive experience across merger control, foreign investment screening, antitrust investigations, litigation, and State aid. At a time when antitrust and regulatory considerations are playing a critical role in shaping strategic business decisions, his arrival further enhances the breadth and depth of our offering in Paris.”

“I am delighted to join Latham & Watkins in Paris, especially at this critical time when competition authorities are becoming increasingly active and coordinated across jurisdictions. The firm’s global platform and market-leading capabilities provide an exceptional opportunity to help clients navigate their most complex matters,” said Levy. “I look forward to working closely with the teams across practices and geographies to further develop Latham’s antitrust and competition offering.”

Levy joins Latham & Watkins from Hogan Lovells Cadwalader. He holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, a Master’s degree in European Business Law from Paris Panthéon-Assas University, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in Paris and New York.

About Latham & Watkins (lw.com)

Latham & Watkins is a leading global law firm that brings together exceptional legal talent in financial centers around the world to advise on complex transactions, litigation, and regulatory matters. The firm’s deep market and product knowledge, industry experience, vast scale, and commitment to innovation and excellence help clients navigate their most critical challenges and achieve their goals.

OpenAI/Astra, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Google Gemini and xAI/Grok are confronted with the same work: a meta-reading experiment turns literary criticism into a comparative laboratory for artificial intelligence.

PARIS, Sept. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — What if, in order to understand artificial intelligences, we gave them exactly the same book to read?

That is the experiment now accompanying “Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI”.

After hundreds of hours of dialogue, human thought, archives, questions, and contradictions gave rise to a book whose pen was entrusted to artificial intelligence.

https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/

Today, the book also exists materially: its French and English editions are in print. But the experiment does not end with the book. It now turns back toward the artificial intelligences themselves.

We didn’t ask AI to judge the book. We asked AIs to read it — and then to read each other.

The complete corpus is submitted to several major systems:

OpenAI / Astra, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, and xAI / Grok.

They all receive the same object. But do they produce the same reading?

https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/meta-reading/

The objective is not to organize a competition between models.

It is precisely the opposite.

The purpose is to observe their convergences, divergences, and blind spots.

Which concepts do they spontaneously identify? Which theses do they consider central? Which passages do they connect? Where do their interpretations diverge?

And above all: what happens when each is subsequently given access to the analyses produced by the others? At that moment, a meta-reading emerges.

AI no longer merely reads the book.

It reads another AI reading the book.

A third system can then analyze that confrontation. Commentary becomes corpus. The corpus becomes new material for analysis.

For centuries, we have used critics to better understand books.

This experiment also proposes the reverse movement:

using a book to better understand those who read it.

The same work thus becomes a kind of cognitive mirror placed before several artificial-intelligence architectures. This mirror does not ask: “Which AI is right?”

What Gemini thought of the analysis produced by Grok.

DeepSeek’s response to the critique by OpenAI Astra.

It asks: “Why don’t they see exactly the same thing?”

The distinction is essential. Because their divergences themselves become information.

This experiment does not delegate human judgment.

It demands more of it. The human remains the one who compares, doubts, contextualizes, and decides.

The machine produces readings. The human also observes the gaps between those readings.

Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI thus becomes simultaneously a book, a corpus, and an open experiment into the plurality of artificial intelligences.

The book was meant to be read by humans.

It now also becomes an object through which humans can watch AIs read.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The meta-reading experiment makes it possible to examine, among other things:

• what Google Gemini observes in the analysis produced by xAI/Grok;
• DeepSeek’s response to the critique produced by OpenAI/Astra;
• the convergences, divergences and blind spots revealed by confronting the different readings.

“We didn’t ask AI to judge the book. We asked AIs to read it — and then to read one another.“

https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/meta-reading/
https://www.dialoguebetweenathinkerandai.com/en/

Media Contact : Thierry Ehrmann, ir@artmarket.com