A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners broke the world record at a Beijing half-marathon on Sunday, demonstrating the rapid technological progress made by Chinese manufacturers.
Spectators lined the roads of Yizhuang, in the south of the capital, to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.
Some robots were very agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic abilities.
The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That was significantly faster than the best human in Sunday’s race, while also surpassing the current men’s world record of 57:20 held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.
The result represents a dramatic improvement over last year, when robot runners fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.
The number of humanoids registered has increased from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organizers, a sign of the growing popularity of the sector.
“Pretty cool”
Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student watching the race from behind a security barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and take a photo of the lead robot as it sped past.
She said AFP she was excited about such technological advancements and found the event “pretty cool”.
But, she added, “as someone who works for a living, it worries me a little bit sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start to affect people’s jobs,” especially with increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence.
Humanoid robots have become commonplace in China in recent years, both in the media and in public spaces.
Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday’s race with his family, said robots could “be part of our daily lives” within a few years, potentially used for “things like housework, companionship for the elderly or basic care” or “hazardous work, even firefighting.”
The humanoid half marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularize the technologies used to create and operate such machines.
In a sign of the industry’s strength, investments in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency.
“For thousands of years, humans have been at the top of planet Earth. But now look at the robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sporting event, they are already starting to surpass us,” Xie said.
“On the one hand, it makes us a little sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.”
