Recent months have seen a flurry of advancements in robotics, but one of the most striking developments took place in China, where humanoid robots ran alongside human participants in a half-marathon — marking a global first.
On 19 April in Beijing, bipedal robots of varying shapes and sizes took on the 21.1-kilometre course, accompanied by teams of human navigators, operators and engineers. According to organisers, it was the first event of its kind. To ensure safety, a divider was placed between the two parallel tracks — one for robots, the other for humans.
While the 12,000 human runners followed conventional marathon rules with water stops and timing chips, the 20 teams competing with 21 humanoid machines operated under modified conditions. These included battery replacement stops and the ability to substitute robots if needed — although each swap incurred a 10-minute penalty.
As one might expect, the robots didn’t outpace their human counterparts. Many stumbled along the route, occasionally toppling over and requiring assistance to get back on their feet. In one case, a robot collided with a railing only metres into the race, causing its human operator to fall alongside it.
The standout performer among the machines was the Sky Project Ultra, also known as Tien Kung Ultra from the Tien Kung Team, which crossed the finish line in two hours and 40 minutes.
Though this time was nearly two hours behind the winner of the men’s race — who completed the course in just one hour and two minutes — it represented a significant leap from Tien Kung Ultra’s previous attempt in January, where it took eight hours to complete the half-marathon.
Tang Jian, chief technology officer at the robotics centre, attributed the robot’s success to its long legs and a sophisticated algorithm designed to mimic human marathon running.
“I don’t want to boast, but I believe no robotics company in the West has matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” Jian told Reuters, noting that the robot only needed three battery swaps throughout the entire race.
Awards were also given out for categories such as best endurance, most innovative design, and best gait engineering.
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