Humanoid robots stride into the future with world’s first half-marathon

Step by mechanical step, dozens of humanoid robots took to the streets of Beijing early Saturday, becoming a member of hundreds of their flesh-and-blood counterparts in a world-first half marathon showcasing China’s drive to steer the worldwide race in cutting-edge expertise.

The 21-kilometer (13-mile) occasion held within the Chinese language capital’s E-City—a state-backed hub for high-tech manufacturing—is billed as a groundbreaking effort to check the boundaries of bipedal robots in real-world situations.

On the crack of the starter’s gun, and as a Chinese language pop music “I Believe” blared out from loudspeakers on repeat, the robots queued up one after the other and took their first tentative steps.

Curious human runners lined up on their facet of the highway and waited patiently with cellphones on the able to shoot every machine as they ready to depart.

One smaller-sized android, which fell over and lay on the bottom for a number of minutes, obtained up by itself to loud cheers.

One other, powered by propellers and designed to seem like a Transformer, veered throughout the beginning line earlier than crashing right into a barrier and knocking over an engineer.

“Getting onto the race track might seem like a small step for humans, but it’s a giant leap for humanoid robots,” Liang Liang, Beijing E-City’s administration committee deputy director, informed AFP earlier than the occasion. Close by, engineers jogged alongside their machines.

“The marathon helps push humanoid robots one step closer toward industrialization.”

Tech race

Round 20 groups from throughout China are collaborating within the competitors—with robots starting from 75 to 180 centimeters (2.46 to five.9 ft) tall and weighing as much as 88 kilograms (194 kilos).

Some are working autonomously, whereas others are guided remotely by engineers, with machines and people working on separate tracks.

Engineers informed AFP the aim was to check the efficiency and reliability of the androids—emphasizing that ending the race, not profitable it, was the primary goal.

“I think it’s a big boost for the entire robotics industry,” Cui Wenhao, a 28-year-old engineer at Noetix Robotics, stated of the half-marathon.

“Honestly, there are very few opportunities for the whole industry to run at full speed over such a long distance or duration. It’s a serious test for the battery, the motors, the structure—even the algorithms.”

Cui stated as a part of its coaching, a humanoid robot had been working a half-marathon each day, at a tempo of about seven minutes per kilometer, and he anticipated it to finish the race with no points.

“But just in case, we’ve also prepared a backup robot,” he added.

One other younger engineer, 25-year-old Kong Yichang from DroidUp, stated the race would assist to “lay a foundation for a whole series of future activities involving humanoid robots”.

“The significance (of the race) lies in the fact that humanoid robots can truly integrate into human society and begin doing things that humans do.”

China, the world’s second-largest financial system, has sought to say its dominance within the fields of AI and robotics, positioning itself as a direct challenger to the US.

In January, Chinese language start-up DeepSeek drew consideration with a chatbot it claimed was developed extra cost-effectively than its American counterparts.

Dancing humanoid robots additionally captivated audiences throughout a televised Chinese language New 12 months gala.

© 2025 AFP