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A humanoid robot running alongside human competitors broke the world record at a Beijing half-marathon on Sunday, in a showcase of the pace at which Chinese manufacturers are advancing the technology
Spectators lined the roads in the southern Beijing district of Yizhuang to watch machines and their human rivals race, with each group kept in a separate lane to prevent collisions.
Some of the humanoids moved with striking agility, their strides likened to those of sprinters such as Usain Bolt, while others relied on more basic locomotion.
The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21-kilometer (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, averaging about 25 kilometers per hour, according to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).
That time was well ahead of the fastest human in Sunday's race and also surpassed the current men's half-marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, held by Ugandan long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo.
The outcome marked a sharp leap forward from last year's event, when robot-runners repeatedly fell, and the fastest finisher needed more than two hours and 40 minutes to complete the course. The number of humanoid entries also rose sharply, climbing from about 20 last year to more than 100, organizers said, an indicator of the sector's rapid expansion.
The half-marathon is designed to encourage innovation and raise public awareness of the technologies underpinning humanoid development.
Investment in robotics and so-called embodied artificial intelligence reached 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency, a figure that underscores the scale of the country's ambitions in the field.
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