Twenty-one humanoid robots competed against thousands of human runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing. This marked the first time in history that robots raced alongside humans over a 21-kilometer (13-mile) course.
The event featured robots from leading Chinese manufacturers, including DroidUP and Noetix Robotics, with designs ranging from compact 120-centimeter (3.9-foot) models to towering 1.8-meter (5.9-foot) human-like machines. One company even boasted a robot with strikingly human features.
Spectators marveled at the sight of mechanical runners moving steadily alongside human athletes.
“The robots are running very well, very stable… I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” said He Sishu, an AI industry worker who attended the race.
Despite their advanced programming, the robots weren’t entirely independent, human trainers accompanied them. Some robots wore running shoes, others had quirky accessories like boxing gloves and a red headband.
The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics, crossed the finish line in an impressive 2 hours and 40 minutes, far behind the men’s human champion, who finished in just 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The center’s chief technology officer Tang Jian, credited Tiangong Ultra’s success.
“I don’t want to boast, but I think no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” Tang said.
Not all robots fared as well. Some struggled from the start—one collapsed at the starting line, lying motionless for minutes before rebooting and continuing. Another crashed into a railing just meters into the race, sending its human operator tumbling.
While humanoid robots have appeared in Chinese marathons before, this was the first time they competed directly against humans. China aims to lead in robotics with government-backed investments, hoping to make it a major economic driver.
A professor of AI and robotics at Oregon State University Alan Fern, said humanoid robots running isn’t new or a breakthrough.
“Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility,” Fern said.
“These demonstrations are interesting but show little useful work or basic intelligence.”
Tang acknowledged that the next challenge lies in practical applications.
“Our focus now is developing industrial uses for humanoid robots for factories, businesses, and eventually homes,” he said.
