China to Host World’s First Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing

The world’s first half marathon featuring humanoid robots will take place on April 13 in Beijing’s Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as E-town.

Credit: CGTN

Humanoid robots and human runners will start simultaneously on the same 21.0975 km course, with separate lanes designated for robots to ensure safety.

Six robot teams, representing about 25% of the total participants, conducted their first on-site road tests on March 28, according to China Media Group.

The robot lanes will be separated from human runners by barriers or green belts. Seven aid stations will be set up along the route to provide support.

Each robot will require multiple battery replacements during the race. Dedicated support crews will perform these tasks, similar to pit stops in Formula 1 racing.

“The aid stations mainly support participating teams by providing battery replacements, safety equipment and auxiliary tools,” said Wang Guolin, deputy head of the robot competition group.

During a preparation test, the first humanoid robot completed the course in about 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Organisers noted that many of the robots were not originally designed for running or endurance.

Unlike typical indoor tests, this outdoor event will serve as a real-world evaluation of the robots’ adaptability, stability and endurance.

“The race can evaluate robots’ locomotion capabilities, stability, posture, energy efficiency and control algorithms,” Wang said. “We hope that through this exchange we can jointly promote the development of the embodied robotics industry.”

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• Beijing to host first humanoid robot half marathon on April 13

• Robots and humans will run the same 21.1 km course in separate lanes

• Six robot teams completed road tests on March 28

Source: CGTN