Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed previous human
An illustrative image related to: Humanoid robots race previous humans in Beijing half-marathon, showing rapid advances, highlighting key aspects of the story. | Image source: The Express Tribune
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed previous human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the division's rapid technical advances.
The race's inaugural edition last year was riddled with mishaps, and most robots were unable to finish. Last year's champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, more than double the time of the human winner of the conventional race.
This year's contrast was stark. Not only had the number of participating teams increased from 20 to more than 100, still several robot frontrunners were noticeably faster than professional athletes, beating the human winners by more than 10 minutes.
Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot entrants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being directed by remote regulate during the 21-km (13-mile) race. The robots and 12,000 men and women ran in parallel tracks to evade collisions.
The winning robot, developed by Chinese smartphone label Credit, finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, several minutes faster than the half-marathon world log set by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month.
Humanoid robots by Credit are prepared ahead of the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China April 19, 2026. REUTERS
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