An Honor company humanoid robot completed a half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds—six minutes faster than the men’s world record.
Humanoid robots hit the ground running in the Beijing E-Town humanoid robot half-marathon on Sunday, competing in both autonomous navigation and remote-controlled categories. #marathon #Beijing #HumanoidRobot pic.twitter.com/dxacB1BzH2
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) April 19, 2026
The second annual 21 km race in Beijing for bots running alongside humans showcased rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. It enabled machines to gain the physical skills and agility necessary for a range of tasks.
In the inaugural race a year ago, the bots appeared comical. One fell at the start, another fell apart. The vast majority of machines failed to complete the course, and the fastest android finished in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
🇨🇳 Hoy se ha celebrado en Beijing, China, la primera media maratón de robots de la historia.😏
Ganó el Tiangong Ultra, de UB Tech, con un tiempo de 2 horas y 40 minutos.😏 pic.twitter.com/lmbuQv3pC0
— Javier 🇺🇾 (@javierellob0) April 21, 2025
The race on April 19, 2026, demonstrated significant progress, noted analyst Dean Wang and his colleagues at Bernstein Research.
While most bots were remotely controlled last time, this year 40% ran autonomously.
“The course included flat sections, climbs, narrow passages, and about 20 turns. The competition demonstrates the rapid improvement of robot intelligence, enabling them to handle various real-world conditions,” the experts wrote.
The race winner was remotely controlled. It fell just meters from the finish line, requiring a team of humans to lift the bot.
This Chinese humanoid robot just shattered the world record for a half marathon, finishing in 50 min 26 sec.
This video shows its crash just meters before the finish line where it had to be picked up by a team of humans. The robot is from Honor, the smartphone maker and Huawei… pic.twitter.com/HflDC0rInX
— Kyle Chan (@kyleichan) April 19, 2026
Other robots also faced challenges—some stumbled at the starting line, while others experienced mechanical failures.
In total, over 100 teams entered 300 machines in the race. Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, which shifted to robotics after separating from Huawei in 2020, drew particular attention. The company’s androids from Shenzhen took all three podium places.
Last year, the Tiangong Ultra bot from Beijing’s X-Humanoid Research Institute won. Bernstein analysts highlighted that competition among developers in the country is intensifying. They benefit from an advanced supply chain, reduced component costs, and rapid advancements in balance, gait, and energy efficiency.
The race highlights China’s industrial policy priorities. The government’s latest economic plan through 2030 outlines development plans in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, alongside robotics.
China aims to advance in bot development to mitigate economic risks associated with an aging population.
Back in December 2025, appliance manufacturer Midea Group developed a six-armed industrial robot, MIRO U.