Humanoid Robots Complete Half-Marathon 7 Minutes Faster Than Human Record

The second Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon competition was held on the 19th in Yizhuang, Beijing, China. In this event, robots resembling humans competed to showcase advanced robotic technology, shaving approximately 7 minutes off the human half-marathon completion time. The participating robots demonstrated speeds that outpaced human records in part, offering a glimpse into the potential of robotic advancement.

This competition served as a platform to test autonomous driving technology, where robots navigate solely relying on their own multi-sensor systems without external guidance or navigation signals. A total of 105 teams participated, competing in speed across autonomous driving and remote control categories. The course recreated a realistic driving environment, combining flat sections, uphill slopes, and turns.

The robot from the 'Qitian Dasheng' (齊天大聖) team won the autonomous driving division with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This record was about 7 minutes faster than the human half-marathon world record (57 minutes and 20 seconds). The winning robot in the autonomous driving category showcased advanced sensor fusion technology, using visual cameras, LiDAR, and inertial measurement units to perceive its surroundings and make movement decisions independently.

The robot from the 'Pofeng Shandian' (破風閃電) team recorded 48 minutes and 19 seconds in the remote control category. However, after penalties, its final time was 57.82 seconds, placing it behind the autonomous driving winner. Some robots struggled to complete the course, falling over on turns or driving in reverse. Certain robots also displayed limitations such as deviating from the course, driving backward, or falling.