Robots race humans for 1st time in world debut of humanoid half-marathon

In a global first, 21 humanoid robots ran alongside 12,000 humans in a half-marathon in Beijing over the weekend.

The bipedal robots of various 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 first. As a precaution, a divider separated the parallel courses used by the robots and 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.

To the surprise of many, several of the robots were seen falling to the ground, requiring help from their operators to continue. The fastest robot, Tien Kung Ultra, finished the race 98 minutes slower than the winner.