{"id":22413,"date":"2025-04-25T10:26:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T10:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/?p=22413"},"modified":"2026-01-06T13:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T13:04:50","slug":"humanoid-robots-race-with-humans-in-chinas-first-half-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/humanoid-robots-race-with-humans-in-chinas-first-half-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanoid Robots Race with Humans in China\u2019s First Half Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a world first<\/strong>, humanoid robots<\/strong> raced alongside humans during a half marathon<\/strong> held in Beijing<\/strong>, the capital of China<\/strong>. This groundbreaking event marked a significant milestone in the intersection of sports<\/strong> and robotics technology<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot<\/a><\/em> Half Marathon<\/strong> brought together human athletes and robots for a 21.1-kilometer<\/strong> race. While thousands of runners competed on one side of the track, a parallel lane<\/strong> was designated for robots to run, ensuring safety and fairness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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20 Teams Participated in the Robot Marathon<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 20 teams, including robotics companies<\/strong>, universities<\/strong>, research institutes<\/strong>, robot clubs<\/strong>, and tech enthusiasts<\/strong>, competed in the event with humanoid robots they had developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race was won by a humanoid robot named “Tiangong Ultra”<\/strong>, created by the Beijing Humanoid Robotics Innovation Center<\/strong>. Tiangong Ultra completed the half marathon in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robot runs using an algorithm that mimics human movement<\/strong>, and was developed in collaboration with two state-owned enterprises, Xiaomi’s subsidiary 1810.HK<\/strong>, and UBTech<\/strong>, a private Chinese company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Human-Like Movement vs Maximum Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The runner-up and third-place robots were different versions of the “N2” humanoid model<\/strong>, developed by Noetix Robotics<\/strong>. According to Noetix engineer Cui Wenhuo<\/strong>, one robot was programmed to imitate human gait<\/strong>, while the other was designed for maximum speed<\/strong>. Both completed the race successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cui emphasized the complexity of robot science<\/strong>, which includes structure, perception, and algorithms. He added that their robots were designed to be trainable for future use cases<\/strong>, aiming to contribute to the advancement of the robotics field<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Falling Robots and Technical Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not all robots performed well. Some struggled at the starting line<\/strong>, with one robot falling face-first and unable to get up for a long time. Another robot veered off course shortly after starting and crashed into a barrier, causing its handler to fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the race, many robots lost balance<\/strong>, stumbled<\/strong>, or fell<\/strong>, even if they completed the marathon. Engineers followed them in golf carts<\/strong>, providing quick assistance when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Human-Robot Synergy Will Never End”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Chinese government<\/strong> sees humanoid robots<\/strong> as one of the key technologies<\/strong> that will shape the future alongside artificial intelligence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marathon was held in Beijing E-Town<\/strong>, a special administrative area focused on advanced technologies<\/strong>. Officials believe that encouraging companies to develop marathon-capable robots helps enhance technical maturity<\/strong> and raise industry standards<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts predict that developing robots that can withstand real-world physical challenges<\/strong> will have transformative applications in areas like disaster rescue<\/strong>, hazardous waste cleanup<\/strong>, smart manufacturing<\/strong>, and elderly care<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the official event guide, Li Quen<\/strong>, Deputy Director of the Beijing E-Town Administrative Committee<\/strong>, stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRegardless of their finish time or position, the footprints<\/strong> these robots leave at the finish line are more valuable than medals<\/strong>. The 21 kilometers may end, but our quest for human-robot synergy<\/strong> will never end.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    <\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In a world first, humanoid robots raced alongside humans during a half marathon held in Beijing, the capital of China. This groundbreaking event marked a significant milestone in the intersection of sports and robotics technology. The Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon brought together human athletes and robots for a 21.1-kilometer race. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22414,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAown96uCw:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[345],"class_list":["post-22413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-robotic","tag-robot-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metaverseplanet.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}