April 19, 2025
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Humanoid robots stride into the long run 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 know-how.
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 circumstances.
On the crack of the starter's gun, and as a Chinese language pop track "I Consider" 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 street 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, acquired up by itself to loud cheers.
One other, powered by propellers and designed to appear to be a Transformer, veered throughout the beginning line earlier than crashing right into a barrier and knocking over an engineer.
"Getting onto the race observe would possibly seem to be a small step for people, however it's an enormous leap for humanoid robots," Liang Liang, Beijing E-City's administration committee deputy director, instructed AFP earlier than the occasion. Close by, engineers jogged alongside their machines.
"The marathon helps push humanoid robots one step nearer towards industrialization."
Tech race
Round 20 groups from throughout China are participating within the competitors—with robots starting from 75 to 180 centimeters (2.46 to five.9 toes) tall and weighing as much as 88 kilograms (194 kilos).
Some are operating autonomously, whereas others are guided remotely by engineers, with machines and people operating on separate tracks.
Engineers instructed AFP the objective was to check the efficiency and reliability of the androids—emphasizing that ending the race, not profitable it, was the principle goal.
"I believe it's a giant increase for your entire robotics business," Cui Wenhao, a 28-year-old engineer at Noetix Robotics, stated of the half-marathon.
"Truthfully, there are only a few alternatives for the entire business to run at full pace over such a protracted distance or period. It's a severe check for the battery, the motors, the construction—even the algorithms."
Cui stated as a part of its coaching, a humanoid robotic had been operating a half-marathon day-after-day, at a tempo of about seven minutes per kilometer, and he anticipated it to finish the race with no points.
"However simply in case, we've additionally ready a backup robotic," he added.
One other younger engineer, 25-year-old Kong Yichang from DroidUp, stated the race would assist to "lay a basis for a complete collection of future actions involving humanoid robots".
"The importance (of the race) lies in the truth that humanoid robots can really combine into human society and start doing issues that people do."
China, the world's second-largest economic system, has sought to say its dominance within the fields of AI and robotics, positioning itself as a direct challenger to america.
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 Yr gala.
© 2025 AFP
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