Humanoid robots race humans at a Chinese half marathon in world first

If the thought of the inevitable robot uprising keeps you up at night, you can probably sleep tight, at least for the time being.

On April 19, more than 20 two-legged robots took part in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in Beijing, China.

The robots came in all shapes and sizes, from androids the size of a child, to full-sized robots that were designed with a woman’s body and face.

While the robots may look impressive, the results were less than stellar, with some even tripping at the starting line.

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Robots fell short of human standards

Many teams took part in the race, showcasing the best that Chinese companies and universities had to offer.

The robots were racing against 12,000 human contestants, running side-by-side in a separate lane.

While human racers were allowed to replenish their thirst with water, the robot contestants were allowed to get new batteries during the race.

Teams were also allowed to swap their androids with substitutes if necessary, although each substitution came with a 10-minute penalty.

The winning robot was dubbed Tiangong Ultra by its creator, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center.

It finished the route in two hours and 40 minutes, a far cry from the human world record of 56:42, held by Ugandan Runner Jacob Kiplimo.

The robot also fell short of besting its human rivals during the race itself, with the winner of the men’s race finishing with a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes.

The winning robot required several battery changes

While Chinese robots may have mastered the art of kung fu, it’s clear that they’ve yet to master the art of long-distance running.

Contestants could be seen stopping and snapping selfies with the robots along the 13-mile course in Yizhuang, a tech hub district in southeast Beijing.

Some robots even became too ‘tired’ to continue the race unassisted, and human operators had to guide them with leashes.

The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, was one of six mechanical contestants who made it to the finish line, although it did require three battery changes.

It also required a human helper to run alongside it with his hands hovering around the back in case of a fall.

Tang Jian, the chief technology officer for the robotics center, was optimistic about the development of robots in China.

“I don’t want to boast but I think no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” Tang said, according to Reuters.

This view was shared by Alan Fern, professor of computer sciences, AI and robotics at Oregon State University.

He told CNN that he was ‘actually very impressed’ that the robots managed to finish the race within the time limit, adding that he ‘would have bet that none of them would finish’.

Fern also said that while various robotics companies in China, the US and Europe are developing their own humanoid robots, there is no clear leader at the moment.
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