Twenty-one humanoid robots participated in the Beijing half marathon, marking the first instance of machines running alongside humans for a distance of 21 km, reports Reuters.
?? 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
Several companies tested humanoids for weeks before the race. During the event, robots required teams of developers and navigators.
Under the race conditions, the devices must resemble humans: possessing a mechanical structure capable of walking or running on two legs. Heights from 50 cm to 200 cm are allowed, with a maximum hip-to-foot distance of 45 cm.
Both remotely controlled and fully autonomous humanoids were permitted in the half marathon. Batteries could be changed during the race, and the winner Tiangong did so three times.
“The robots perform very well, very steadily… I feel like I am witnessing the evolution of bots and artificial intelligence,” commented one spectator, He Xishu, who works in the AI field.
Tiangong Ultra from the Beijing Innovation Centre for Humanoid Robotics was the first mechanical athlete to cross the finish line, clocking in at two hours and 40 minutes. The fastest human completed the distance in one hour and two minutes.
The robot’s success is attributed to its long legs and an algorithm capable of mimicking human running, noted Tang Jian, the centre’s technical director.
“I don’t want to boast, but I believe no Western robotics company can match Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” he remarked.
In ?? Beijing, the world just saw its first half marathon where humans and humanoid robots ran together!
Tiangong Ultra won first place with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds!
What a feat! pic.twitter.com/6wjNBdKbSN
— Dominic Lee 李梓敬 (@dominictsz) April 19, 2025
Not all bots reached the finish line. Some encountered difficulties at the very start. One robot fell at the beginning and lay for several minutes. Another ran a few meters before crashing into a barrier.
“In the future, we will focus on the industrial application of humanoid robots, so they can truly enter factories, business scenarios, and eventually households,” noted Jian.
Back in December 2024, Chinese police were equipped with round patrol robots—armed devices with artificial intelligence resembling a large bowling ball.