A robot participates in the Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing on April 19, 2025.
Step by mechanics, dozens of humanoid robots went down to the streets of Beijing early on Saturday, joining thousands of their flesh and blood counterparts in a first global half-marathon presenting the will of China to lead the world race in advanced technology.
The 21 -kilometer (13 mile) event organized in the e -town city of the Chinese capital – a state center for high -tech manufacturing – is presented as a revolutionary effort to test the limits of two -way robots in real conditions.
At the crack of the starter pistol, and as a Chinese pop song “I Believe” has rejected repeated speakers, the robots line up one by one and took their first temporary steps.
Curious human runners aligned themselves on their side of the road and waited patiently with mobile phones ready to shoot on each machine while they were preparing to leave.
A smaller Android, which fell on the ground for several minutes, got up with noisy cheers.
Another, powered by the propellers and designed to look like a transformer, crossed the starting line before crashing into a barrier and returning an engineer.
“Going on the race track may seem a small step for humans, but it is a giant jump for humanoid robots,” Liang Liang Liang Liang Liang, deputy director of the City of Beijing, told AFP. Nearby, the engineers jogging alongside their machines.
“The marathon helps to push humanoid robots with one more step towards industrialization.”
Dozens of humanoid robots have taken up the streets of Beijing, joining thousands of their flesh and blood counterparts in a world half-marathon.
Technological race
About twenty teams from all over China participate in the competition, with robots ranging from 75 to 180 centimeters (2.46 to 5.9 feet) in height and weighing up to 88 kilograms (194 pounds).
Some operate independently, while others are guided remotely by engineers, with machines and humans operating on separate tracks.
The engineers told AFP that the objective was to test the performance and reliability of Androids – emphasizing the fact that finishing the race, not winning it, was the main objective.
“I think it’s a big boost for the entire robotics industry,” said Cui Wenhao, a 28-year-old engineer at Noetix Robotics, about Dema-Marathon.
“Honestly, there are very few opportunities for the whole industry to work at full speed over such a distance or such a duration. It is a serious test for the battery, the engines, the structure – even the algorithms.”
China, the second world economy, sought to assert its domination in the fields of AI and robotics.
Cui said that as part of his training, a humanoid robot had run a half-marathon every day, at a rate of about seven minutes per kilometer, and he expected him to finish the race without problem.
“But just in case we also prepared a backup robot,” he added.
Another young engineer, Kong Yichang, 25, of Droidup, said that the race would help “throw a base for a whole series of future activities involving humanoid robots”.
“The meaning (of race) lies in the fact that humanoid robots can really integrate into human society and start doing things that humans do.”
A robot loses control because he participates in the Beijing half-marathon.
China, the second world economy, sought to assert its domination in the fields of AI and robotics, positioning itself as a direct challenger in the United States.
In January, the Chinese start-up Deepseek drew attention with a chatbot which, according to him, was developed more profitable than its American counterparts.
Dancing humanoid robots also captured the public during a Chinese New Year TV gala.
© 2025 AFP
Quote: Humanoid robots enter the future with the first half-marathon in the world (2025, April 19) recovered on April 19, 2025
This document is subject to copyright. In addition to any fair program for private or research purposes, no part can be reproduced without written authorization. The content is provided only for information purposes.
