Imagine this: Beijing just rolled out the red carpet for what might be the quirkiest race you’ve ever seen—the world’s first half-marathon for humanoid robots. Picture a bunch of bipedal bots, some looking like they stepped out of a futuristic comedy, trying (and mostly failing) to keep up with human runners. It was as hilarious as it sounds. 😊
Here’s the kicker: out of 21 hopefuls, only four robots actually made it through the 13-mile gauntlet within the four-hour cutoff. The champ? X Humanoid’s Tiangong Ultra, clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes—which, let’s be honest, is more of a leisurely stroll than a sprint compared to human times. But the real entertainment came from the bots that didn’t make it. One took a tumble right out of the gate, another literally lost its head, and one poor soul just… fell apart mid-race. For the full scoop, Bloomberg has got you covered.
Teams could swap batteries or even robots (with a time penalty, because fairness), adding a layer of strategy to the chaos. Standouts included Noetix Robotics’ N2, which looked like it walked straight out of a Gundam anime, and the adorable Little Giant, crafted by local students. And yes, many of these mechanical athletes were sporting human running shoes, because why not? They might not be breaking any speed records, but their endearing clumsiness is definitely breaking the internet.
