Humanoids and humans race alongside - 2nd June 2025

Robots have raced against their flesh and blood counterparts in a half marathon in China. Manufactured by Chinese tech companies, the humanoid styled robots came in all shapes and sizes, ranging in height from 1.2 metres to 1.8 metres.

The individual robots ran alongside their human handlers, responsible for steering the right course and replacing the battery pack, should the need arise. There were 21 robots in all, alongside thousands of runners, but as in a typical running event, there were occasional mishaps along the way.

The victor amongst the humanoids was Tiangong Ultra, fabricated by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre. The enterprise's chief technology officer, Tang Jian, explains that their comprehensive research into the manner professional athletes move had ultimately given them the edge.

Tang Jian: "We collected real-world running data from professional athletes and trained the robot so that its gait, cadence, stride length, and various postures could match those of professional runners as closely as possible."

A world first for humanoid robots to compete alongside humans, this occasion was a historic opportunity to showcase China's sophistication in the field of robotics. At the same time, it was a way of putting the stability and endurance of their machines to the test.

Tang Jian: "The main purpose behind doing the half marathon is to prepare for future - or rather, near-future - industrial applications. When our robots are deployed in factories, commercial settings, or everyday life, we expect them to work continuously, 24/7, without failure. Running the marathon is essentially an extreme test of reliability and stability."

The first human runner triumphed in one hour and two minutes, less than half the time of the winning android, yet despite this discrepancy, many feel assured that technological developments will inevitably advance. Onlookers Huang Xiaoyu and her young daughter, who'd been cheering from the sidelines, concluded that it'll be robots seizing the trophy before long.

Huang Xiaoyu: "Right now, humans still run faster, but in the future, do you think robots or humans will be faster? [Huang's Daughter: "Robots!"] Looks like in the future, it might just be robots that run faster."