🦿 Robots Ran Among Humans in Humanoid Half Marathon
On April 19, 21 robots competed alongside 12,000 human marathoners in a 21.1 km endurance race in Beijing. The bots had a separate track but faced the same hills, heat, and crowds. Some ran fully on their own, others were remotely controlled. All had engineers nearby for support.
Only six robots finished the race. The winner, Tiangong Ultra, created by the X-Humanoid researchers, crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 40 minutes, including battery swaps. That's just 2.5 times slower than the winning human, who ran it in 1 hour and 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Unitree G1—famous for its kung-fu moves in promo videos—fell right at the start. The company later said the robot wasn't using its official software.
🏅 Rapid Progress
The Beijing Half Marathon was the largest robot race ever, and it was the first time they ran alongside humans, but it was not the first time robots raced. In 2011, Japan hosted a marathon for five small humanoid robots. They had to run 422 laps of 100 meters indoors. The winner took almost 55 hours to finish.
In 2021, a U.S. robot named Cassie (essentially just a pair of legs) ran 5 km autonomously without human assistance. A year later, it set a Guinness World Record by running 100 meters in 24.73 seconds.
😅 Not Just For Fun
Robot races are real-life tests for how robots walk, balance, navigate, and manage battery life. The same tech could eventually be used in delivery, construction, healthcare, or space missions.
More on the topic:
🤖 What Is the Neo Home Robot Already Able to Do?
