Humanoid Robots Come Second As Humans Lead the Pack at Historic Beijing Half-Marathon

In a race that made global headlines for its futuristic twist, humans had no trouble keeping pace and staying far ahead of humanoid robots at the Beijing Yizhuang Half-Marathon.

Over 20 humanoid robots joined thousands of human athletes for what was billed as a world-first 21-kilometer challenge through the streets of China’s capital. While the event showed promise for the humanoid robots to win due to their tech and features, the results were clear: humans still have the edge.

Though the machines were built to run, they weren’t completely independent. Each robot came with a team of engineers in tow, and many needed physical assistance to stay upright during the race.

Some bots barely made it past the start line. One collapsed just moments after the starting gun and lay motionless on the track for several minutes. Another veered off course and slammed into a barrier, taking its human handler down with it.

Still, a few of the humanoid robots made it all the way to the finish. Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Innovation Centre of Human Robotics, recorded the best robot time at 2 hours and 40 minutes — a full hour behind the top human male finisher.

“Generally, these are interesting demonstrations,” said Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University. “But they don’t demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence.”

Despite the performance gap, some spectators were inspired. “The robots are running very well, very stable… I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” said He Sishu, a local AI engineer.

The event wasn’t so much a race as it was a tech showcase. Chinese firms like DroidVP and Noetix Robotics used the opportunity to show off their latest bipedal innovations, with designs ranging from sleek humanoids to boxy bots.

But could things have gone differently with a faster robot in the mix? Possibly.

Cassie, the bipedal robot created by Agility Robotics, completed a 5K run back in 2021 and currently holds a Guinness World Record as the fastest bipedal robot. Had Cassie joined the race in Beijing, it might have left the others in the dust, possibly even giving slower human runners a run for their money.

Still, the message from developers is clear: while half-marathons are a fun experiment, the real goal lies in more practical territory.

“A focus going forward will be industrial applications,” said Tang Jian, Chief Technology Officer at Tiangong’s lab. “So they can truly enter factories, business scenarios, and finally households.”