In recent months there have been loads of developments in robotics, but the newest is one other small step — actually hundreds of steps — as humanoid robots ran alongside actual humans in a half-marathon in China.
The bipedal robots of assorted makes and sizes navigated the 21.1-kilometre course in Beijing on April 19, supported by teams of human navigators, operators and engineers in what event organizers called a primary. As a precaution, a divider separated the parallel courses utilized by the robots and other people.
While the 12,000 human participants followed conventional rules and required stops at water stations, the 20 teams fielding the 21 machines competed under tailored guidelines, which included battery swap pit stops.
Firms were also allowed to swap their androids with substitutes after they could now not compete, nevertheless each substitution added a 10-minute penalty to the robot’s final time.
Despite what you would possibly think, the robots didn’t outrun the humans through the long-distance marathon, and lots of may very well be seen falling over and needing help to get back on their “feet.”
One robot crashed right into a railing after running a couple of metres, which caused its human operator to fall over with it.
A robot loses control because it takes part within the humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing on April 19, 2025.
PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images
A humanoid robot is assisted by support technicians after collapsing in the beginning line of the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19, 2025, in Beijing, China. Based on organizers, the event was the primary of its kind and featured 21 humanoid robot runners.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
The Sky Project Ultra robot, also generally known as Tien Kung Ultra from the Tien Kung Team, claimed victory among the many non-humans, crossing the finish line in two hours and 40 minutes.
Robotic participant, Tien Kung Ultra, competes as engineers run alongside during a half-marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2025.
Li Xin/Xinhua via Getty Images
Tien Kung Ultra’s time was nearly two hours longer than the winner of the boys’s race — who accomplished the marathon in a single hour and two minutes — however it still marked an improvement from an attempt in January when the robot needed eight hours to finish the 21.1-kilometre race, in accordance with The Associated Press.
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Tang Jian, chief technology officer for the robotics centre, said Tien Kung Ultra’s performance was aided by long legs and an algorithm allowing it to mimic how humans run a marathon.
“I don’t need to boast but I feel no other robotics firms within the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” Jian told Reuters, adding that the robot switched batteries just thrice through the race.
Awards recognized best endurance, best gait design and most modern form.
First placed Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot, second placed N2 humanoid robot, developed by Noetix Robotics, and third placed X02-lite humanoid robot, developed by Shanghai Droid Robot Co., Ltd., are seen at an award ceremony following the Beijing E-town Half-Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19, 2025, in Beijing, China.
PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images
Many spectators shared videos of the robots in motion on social media.
The primary-ever Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon comes one month after Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot showed off its latest development, featuring some latest dance moves.
In a video released by Boston Dynamics on March 19, the corporate showcased its latest robot, called Atlas, breaking it down with some legwork combos and ending in a cartwheel. The robot demonstrates the usage of reinforcement learning with references from human motion capture and animation.
The Massachusetts-based robotics company — famous for videos showcasing robots dancing, pulling Santa’s sleigh and even casually showing off tips on how to parkour — shared the video on YouTube, showing how Atlas can turn a handstand right into a roundoff and crawl on the bottom (although the crawling could use some improvement).
Atlas, which is “designed for real-world applications,” is the freshest iteration of the corporate’s humanoid robots and is its first fully electric model. An earlier version of Atlas was hydraulic-powered.
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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