Humanoid robots show rapid advances as they race past humans in Beijing half-marathon | Marathon
Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their rapidly improving athleticism as they raced past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, a race they fell far short of a year ago.
Last year’s first race of the race was full of mishaps as many robots struggled to get off the starting line and many failed to complete the race.
The champion robot recorded a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes; This was easily ahead of its machine rivals, but it took twice as long as the human to win the traditional race.
The difference from this year was very noticeable. Not only did the number of running robots increase from 20 to over 100, but many of those vying for the podium were noticeably faster than the professional athletes competing in the human race.
Robots and humans were running on parallel paths to avoid collisions.
The winning robot, developed by the well-known Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, completed the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds; this was several minutes faster than the world record set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon last month; However, the humanoid robot had to be helped to get just a few meters closer to the finish line after hitting the guard rails.
While economically valuable applications of humanoid robots remain in the experimental phase, the marathon showcase of these machines’ physical prowess underscores their potential to reshape everything from hazardous work to combat on the battlefield.
China aims to become a powerhouse in this pioneering sector and has implemented a wide range of policies, from subsidies to infrastructure projects, to nurture local firms.
The annual CCTV Spring Festival premiere, China’s most-watched TV show, in February showcased the country’s push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing.
This included a lengthy martial arts demonstration in which more than a dozen Unitree humanoids performed sophisticated fighting scenes by wielding swords, poles, and nunchucks in close proximity to human child performers.
