Published: April 19, 2025, 04:14 PM
Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more akin to a race car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams
For the first time ever, humanoid robots raced alongside human runners in a half-marathon in Beijing’s Yizhuang district on Saturday, covering the 21-kilometre course in an event as much about engineering as athleticism. A total of 21 robots from various Chinese manufacturers, including DroidVP and Noetix Robotics, participated — with some as short as 120 cm and others towering at 1.8 metres.
The event, described by Beijing officials as more like a “race car competition” due to the involvement of engineering and navigation teams, saw robots running under the supervision of human trainers. Some machines required physical support to stay upright, while others managed to keep pace independently. Spectators were treated to scenes of robots in running shoes, one sporting boxing gloves, and another with a red headband declaring “Bound to Win” in Chinese.
The star of the show was Tiangong Ultra, a robot from the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics, which finished the race in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The centre is partly state-owned and also backed by tech companies like Xiaomi and UBTech. Tiangong Ultra`s CTO, Tang Jian, credited its performance to long legs and a human-like running algorithm. Remarkably, it only required three battery swaps during the entire course.
Not every robot fared so well. One toppled at the starting line and lay on the ground for several minutes before restarting. Another crashed into a railing just a few metres into the race. While robots have made appearances at Chinese marathons before, this marked the first time they officially ran the same course as human athletes.
The event highlights China’s ambition to lead in next-generation industries like robotics. However, some experts question the broader implications. Alan Fern, a professor of AI and robotics at Oregon State University, noted that while these feats demonstrate agility and engineering prowess, they offer limited insight into practical AI capabilities or industrial applications. “These are interesting demonstrations, but they don`t show useful work or any form of basic intelligence,” he commented.
Nonetheless, Tang Jian insists their future focus will shift towards integrating humanoid robots into industrial, business, and household settings — moving beyond marathon tracks and into real-world utility.
