In a spectacle that was equal parts hilarious, sad, and encouraging, 21 bipedal robots joined a field of humans in a half-marathon in Beijing last weekend. The robots and humans ran different courses, with engineers allowed to accompany the bots to help them up if they fell, or to replace battery packs. While 21 robots entered the race, only four made it across the finish line by the cutoff time. “One fell at the starting line,” wrote Bloomberg. “Another’s head fell off and rolled on the ground. And one collapsed and broke into pieces.”
The humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing just started! pic.twitter.com/8vr2nXQwuR
— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) April 19, 2025
Of the four humanoid robots to cross the finish line, first place was taken by X Humanoid’s Tiangong Ultra, standing 5’10 with a finishing time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. For comparison, Reuters reports that the first human to finish had a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes.
See also: WATCH: AI service robot on wheels to assist humans across hotels and retail spaces
