China holds world's first humanoid robot half-marathon

Beijing | China on Saturday held the world's first marathon of humanoid robots running together with human runners, showcasing progress in AI technologies amid Beijing's deepening rivalry with the US in robotics.

Twenty-one humanoid robots, accompanied by their tech handlers from top universities and firms ran over a 21-km race through Beijing's Economic-Technological Development Area.

The robots in different shapes and sizes running along with humans created a spectacle, drawing greetings from large crowds gathered on the sidewalks.

The robots were launched sequentially at intervals exceeding one metre, confined to dedicated tracks where battery swaps mirror Formula 1's pit stops.

In the end, awards were distributed not just for speed but for categories like Best Endurance, Best Gait Design, and Most Innovative Form - celebrating both athletic performance and engineering ability.

State-run Xinhua news agency, which described it as the world's first such race, also released a video footage in which several robots including one wearing a black sun hat and white gloves ran in along with the competitors.

However, videos posted on social media showed that it was not a smooth race as some robots experienced technical hitches at the start and even crashed.

Among 20 competing teams, Tiangong Ultra from the Tiangong Team won the race among the robots with a timing of two hours 40 minutes, slower than over an hour and two minutes clocked by Elias Desta of Ethiopia who was declared the winner of the men's race.

The marathon for the robots was regarded as a test of their core algorithms as they had to navigate complex terrains like slopes and turns which demanded exceptional stability, reliability, and battery life, Xiong Youjun, CEO of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre told Xinhua.

The China Electronics Society forecasts that China's humanoid robot market could reach approximately 870 billion yuan (about USD 119 billion) by 2030.

"Robots completing the race isn't the finish line. It's the starting point for industrial growth and cross-disciplinary learning," said Liang Liang, Deputy Director of Yizhuang's Administrative Committee. "Their small steps today will become giant leaps for human technological progress tomorrow, Liang added.

Given that the humanoid robots on the track differ in height and weight, they are intended for future deployment in designated fields, including manufacturing, healthcare, and education, said Zhao Fuming, director of the Beijing Marathon Association.

"Robots highlighted the race indeed. More cities may learn from such experience to integrate new concepts into marathon. However, robots may not necessarily participate as runners. They can also give a hand in security checking or other operation tasks," Zhao said.

China's robot race was seen as an attempt to showcase its progress in AI tools amid its intensifying race with the US in the new emerging technologies.