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In a spectacle that mixed parts of science fiction and athletics, China held its first-ever humanoid robotic half-marathon over the weekend, pitting machines towards greater than 12,000 human runners in a 13.1-mile race within the streets of Beijing.
The occasion, a part of the Beijing E-Town Half Marathon, showcased 21 humanoid robots developed by main Chinese robotics companies. Organizers say it was the primary time such machines tried a half-marathon alongside people, and it served as a high-stakes tech showcase for China’s rising ambitions in robotics.
A showcase and a wrestle
The race was meant to be a public demonstration of how far these machines have come — and simply how far they nonetheless must go.
“Running is a very basic ability of human beings,” stated Tang Jian, chief know-how officer of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal. “Since we are making human-like robots, we want to give them as many basic human abilities as possible.”
Some robots by no means made it previous the beginning line. One failed to maneuver in any respect, whereas one other wobbled briefly earlier than crashing right into a railing, Reuters reported. Shennong, a mannequin geared up with propellers, reportedly collapsed throughout the race after shedding steadiness.
Then there was Huanhuan — the one robotic within the race with a humanlike face. It started with promise however quickly misplaced its approach, veered off beam, and finally stopped shifting altogether.
The star of the present
But it wasn’t all chaos. One robotic, Tien Kung Ultra, emerged because the star performer.
Developed by Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, also called X-Humanoid — a analysis institute backed by tech agency UBTech, electronics large Xiaomi, and Beijing’s native authorities — Tien Kung Ultra accomplished the half-marathon in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds. That time is akin to many newbie human runners.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the 5-foot-9-inch, 115-pound machine ran on sneaker soles and maintained tempo through wi-fi monitoring, guided by a human working forward.
Only one different robotic, Little Rascal N2, constructed by Noetix Robotics, managed to complete the race with the unique 3.5-hour time restrict. Organizers later prolonged the cutoff to four hours and 10 minutes, permitting extra robots to finish the course.
The larger image
The occasion was greater than only a gimmick; it mirrored China’s strategic push to grow to be a world chief in humanoid robotics by 2027, a objective backed by authorities incentives like tax breaks and subsidies. Beijing officers likened the race to a motorsport competitors, the place engineering, navigation, and endurance take priority over uncooked pace.
Spectators have been each amused and amazed. “The robots are running very well, very stable … I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” stated He Sishu, an AI employee and attendee, in a quote reported by Reuters.
For many contributors, the expertise was surreal. Hang Qian, a 29-year-old Beijing resident who completed simply forward of Tien Kung Ultra, instructed the WSJ, “For ordinary people, a half marathon is an extremely challenging sport and everyone gets exhausted. But robots can continue on by replacing the battery.”
Looking forward, Hang added: “In the future, there could be robots competing in cooking, rock climbing or swimming. I’m looking forward to them all.”
