19-04-2025

China Hosts World's First Robot Half-Marathon Event

Date: 19-04-2025
Sources: bbc.com: 2 | edition.cnn.com: 1 | news.sky.com: 1 | scmp.com: 1 | theguardian.com: 1
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Image Prompt:

Humanoid robots in athletic wear running alongside human participants in a bustling city half-marathon, with a mix of robots stumbling and others completing the course, in a scenic Beijing street setting.

Summary

China held the world's first half-marathon event where 21 humanoid robots, developed by Chinese manufacturers and universities, competed against thousands of human runners in Beijing's Yizhuang half-marathon. The robots completed the 21km course with varying degrees of success, with the winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, finishing in 2 hours and 40 minutes, significantly slower than the human winner.

Key Points

  • 21 humanoid robots participated in the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing alongside thousands of human runners.
  • The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, finished the 21km course in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.
  • The robots faced challenges during the race, with some falling or crashing into railings, while others successfully completed the course.

Articles in this Cluster

China races robots against humans in Beijing half-marathonBritish Broadcasting CorporationBritish Broadcasting Corporation

Twenty-one humanoid robots, designed by Chinese manufacturers, participated in the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing alongside thousands of human runners, completing a challenging 21km course with slopes, turns, and uneven surfaces, with some robots struggling while others successfully finished the race.

Watch: China races robots in Beijing half marathonBritish Broadcasting CorporationBritish Broadcasting Corporation

Robots competed alongside humans in the Yizhuang half marathon in Beijing, with 21 humanoid robots designed by Chinese manufacturers participating in the 21km course. The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds. While some robots completed the race, others struggled, with one falling at the starting line and taking several minutes to get up and continue. The event was billed as the world's first robot half marathon.

Chinese robots ran against humans in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon. They lost by a mile | CNNClose icon

The world's first humanoid half-marathon was held in Beijing, China, where over 20 robots competed against 12,000 human runners. The robots, developed by Chinese companies and universities, finished the 21-kilometer course in around two hours and 40 minutes, significantly slower than the human world record of 56 minutes and 42 seconds. The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, was developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center and finished the course with the help of battery swaps and a human assistant to prevent falls. Despite their technological advancements, the robots were outperformed by human runners, with the men's winner finishing in just over an hour.

China hosts world's first half-marathon race between humans and robots | Science, Climate & Tech News | Sky News

China hosted the world's first half-marathon between humans and robots, where 21 humanoid robots competed alongside thousands of runners in a 21km course in Beijing. The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, finished in 2 hours and 40 minutes, while the human men's winner finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes. The robots varied in height and were required to walk or run without wheels, with some facing issues during the race, such as falling over or crashing into railings.

Running robots put through their paces alongside humans in Beijing half-marathon | South China Morning Post

Dozens of humanoid robots participated in a half-marathon in Beijing, running alongside thousands of human competitors, to showcase China's tech industry and test the robots' capabilities, with 21 robots from private firms and universities taking part in the 21km route.

China pits humanoid robots against humans in half-marathon for first time | Sport | The Guardian

Twenty-one humanoid robots from Chinese manufacturers participated in the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing alongside thousands of human runners, marking the first time these machines have competed against humans over a 21km course. The robots, varying in shape and size, were accompanied by human trainers and some struggled during the race, with one falling at the starting line and another crashing into a railing. The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, completed the course in 2hr 40min, significantly slower than the human men's winner who finished in 1hr 2min. China's investment in robotics is seen as a potential driver of economic growth, although some analysts question the relevance of robots participating in marathons as an indicator of their industrial potential.