Humanoid Robots Race With Humans At Half-Marathon In China

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 greeting 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.