Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showcased their rapidly improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they raced alongside human runners in a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the sector’s fast-paced technological advances.
The race’s inaugural edition last year was riddled with mishaps, and most robots were unable to finish. The champion robot last year recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, more than double the time of the human winner of the conventional race.
This year, the contrast was stark. Not only did the number of participating teams increase from 20 to more than 100, but several leading robots were noticeably faster than professional athletes, beating human winners by more than 10 minutes.
Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot participants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being guided by remote control during the 21-km (13-mile) race. The robots and 12,000 human runners competed on parallel tracks to avoid collisions.
The winning robot, developed by Chinese smartphone brand Honor, completed the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, several minutes faster than the half-marathon world record set by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month.
Teams from Honor, a Huawei spin-off, secured all three podium spots, with self-navigating robots posting record-breaking times. Du Xiaodi, an engineer on the winning team, said the robot had been in development for a year and was equipped with legs measuring 90 to 95 cm (35 to 37 inches) to mimic elite human runners, along with liquid cooling technology adapted from smartphones.
Du said the sector is still in its early stages but expressed confidence that humanoid robots will eventually transform industries, including manufacturing.
"Running faster may not seem meaningful at first, but it enables technology transfer, for example into structural reliability and cooling, and eventually industrial applications," he said.
Robotics Improvements
Spectators viewed the wide range of humanoids, varying in size and movement, as evidence of China’s progress in robotics.
"The humanoid robots' running posture I saw was really quite impressive. Considering that AI has only been developing for a short time, I am already very impressed with this level of performance," said Chu Tianqi, a 23-year-old engineering student at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.
"The future will definitely be an AI era. If people do not learn how to use AI now, especially if some are still resistant to it, they will become obsolete," he added.
Another spectator, 11-year-old Guo Yukun, said the race inspired him to pursue robotics in the future.
Guo said he attends classes in robotics theory and programming at his Beijing school and is part of his school’s team for the International Olympiad in Informatics, a global programming competition for high school students.
Economically Viable Applications
While commercially viable applications of humanoid robots remain largely in the trial phase, the half-marathon demonstrated their physical capabilities and potential to transform sectors ranging from hazardous jobs to military use.
However, Chinese robotics firms still face challenges in developing AI software that can match the efficiency of human workers in factories.
Experts noted that while the robots’ performance in the race was impressive, it does not yet translate into widespread industrial use, where manual dexterity, real-world perception, and complex task execution are essential.
China is aiming to become a global leader in this emerging field, introducing policies such as subsidies and infrastructure support to boost domestic innovation.
The country’s widely watched CCTV Spring Festival Gala in February also highlighted this push, featuring a martial arts performance by over a dozen Unitree humanoid robots, which executed complex fight sequences using swords, poles, and nunchucks alongside human performers.
(Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by The Daily Jagran and has been published through a syndicated feed. Source - REUTERS)
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