On April 19th, the Beijing “Yizhuang” Economic-Technological Development Area hosted the world's inaugural half marathon in which robots participated alongside human runners.
In the 21-kilometer race, 21 humanoid robots joined thousands of runners. Unlike the humans, who started simultaneously, the robots commenced the race sequentially at one-minute intervals and were allocated a separate lane. The robots were accompanied by their developer “trainers”, as both fully autonomous and manual remote control were permitted.
According to the regulations, battery replacements for the robots were allowed, and if necessary, the robots themselves could be exchanged in a relay format. However, each substitution incurred a 10-minute penalty. Furthermore, the robots were required to strictly adhere to the designated route and all technical regulations. Moreover, the rules prohibited damage to the course or harm to fellow robots and human participants. The total operational time for the running robots was approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.
The first to cross the finish line was the robot Tiangong Ultra, completing the distance in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, significantly outperforming its competitors. The prize for the winning robot was presented by another humanoid robot.
Among the human participants, the top finishers were runners from Ethiopia, with the men's best time being 1 hour, 2 minutes, and 36 seconds, and the women's best time being 1 hour, 11 minutes, and 7 seconds.
