Robots ran in Beijing, leaving athletes' records behind
The times achieved in the humanoid robot half-marathon held in Beijing surpassed human records, highlighting the rapid development in robotics technology.
12punto
The "Beijing Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon," held in China's capital, Beijing, witnessed remarkable results. Humanoid robots have reached a new level in half-marathon times.
RECORD TIMES FROM ROBOTS
A Chinese humanoid robot competing in the race completed the 21.1-kilometer course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, taking first place. With this time, the robots surpassed the current men's and women's world records in the half-marathon discipline.
Two other robots of the same model also finished the race at the top with times of 50 minutes 56 seconds and 53 minutes 1 second.
With these results, the robots surpassed the men's world record of 57 minutes 20 seconds set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon in March 2026, and the women's record of 1 hour 2 minutes 52 seconds held by Letesenbet Gidey.
ADVANCED HARDWARE ATTRACTS ATTENTION
It was stated that the winning robot, which entered the race after about a year of development, had legs 90-95 centimeters long to mimic the running form of elite athletes. Additionally, it was noted that the device featured liquid cooling technology used in smartphones.
PARTICIPATION INCREASED, PERFORMANCE IMPROVED
A total of 105 humanoid robots from technology companies, universities, research centers, and robotics clubs took part in the event, which was held for the second time this year.
In the first race held last year, a robot named "Tiangong Ultra" completed the course in 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds, and many robots suffered damage on the track due to balance issues. This year, it was observed that the robots made significant progress in both speed and coordination.
It was reported that nearly half of the participants competed using autonomous navigation systems instead of remote controls, and the robots moved along the same route as 12 thousand human runners.
EXPERTS POINT TO DIVERSE USE CASES
According to expert assessments, humanoid robots are expected to play active roles in many fields such as disaster rescue operations, hazardous waste cleanup, smart manufacturing processes, and elderly care services.