In a groundbreaking event for robotics, Beijing’s E-Town hosted the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon on Saturday. The competition saw “Tiangong Ultra,” developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, emerge victorious after completing the 21.0975-kilometer course in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Robots Take on Challenging Terrain
The racecourse presented a variety of challenges, including flat surfaces and slopes with gradients up to 9 degrees. Competitors navigated six left turns and eight right turns, some at sharp 90-degree angles, testing their balance and agility. The final 1.5-kilometer straight stretch before the finish line pushed the robots to demonstrate their sprinting abilities, highlighting their adaptability to different conditions.
Diverse Competitors Showcase Innovation
Twenty teams participated, bringing robots of various sizes and designs. “Tiangong Ultra,” standing at 180 centimeters tall and weighing 52 kilograms, mirrored adult human proportions. In contrast, the “Little Giant Robot” measured just 75 centimeters and weighed 10 kilograms, illustrating the wide range of design approaches in humanoid robotics.
Driving Industry Advancement
This event marked the first open-environment long-distance endurance test for humanoid robots. Organizers aimed to foster collaboration across the robotics industry, accelerating the transfer of technology from research labs to real-world applications. By crafting professional rules and frameworks for human-machine coordination, the race seeks to open new and unexplored market spaces for humanoid robotics, driving breakthroughs in autonomous mobility and collaborative systems.
