In recent months there have been plenty of developments in robotics, but the latest is another small step — actually thousands of steps — as humanoid robots ran alongside actual humans in a half-marathon in China.
The bipedal robots of various makes and sizes navigated the 21.1-kilometre course in Beijing on April 19, supported by teams of human navigators, operators and engineers in what event organizers called a first. As a precaution, a divider separated the parallel courses used by the robots and people.
While the 12,000 human participants followed conventional rules and required stops at water stations, the 20 teams fielding the 21 machines competed under tailored guidelines, which included battery swap pit stops.
Companies were also allowed to swap their androids with substitutes when they could no longer compete, however each substitution added a 10-minute penalty to the robot’s final time.
Despite what you might think, the robots did not outrun the humans during the long-distance marathon, and many could be seen falling over and needing help to get back on their “feet.”
One robot crashed into a railing after running a few metres, which caused its human operator to fall over with it.
A robot loses control as it takes part in the humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing on April 19, 2025.
PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images
A humanoid robot is assisted by support technicians after collapsing at the start line of the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19, 2025, in Beijing, China. According to organizers, the event was the first of its kind and featured 21 humanoid robot runners.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
The Sky Project Ultra robot, also known as Tien Kung Ultra from the Tien Kung Team, claimed victory among the non-humans, crossing the finish line in two hours and 40 minutes.
Robotic participant, Tien Kung Ultra, competes as engineers run alongside during a half-marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2025.
Li Xin/Xinhua via Getty Images
Tien Kung Ultra’s time was nearly two hours longer than the winner of the men’s race — who completed the marathon in one hour and two minutes — but it still marked an improvement from an attempt in January when the robot needed eight hours to complete the 21.1-kilometre race, according to The Associated Press.
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Tang Jian, chief technology officer for the robotics centre, said Tien Kung Ultra’s performance was aided by long legs and an algorithm allowing it to imitate how humans run a marathon.
“I don’t want to boast but I think no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,” Jian told Reuters, adding that the robot switched batteries just three times during the race.
Awards recognized best endurance, best gait design and most innovative form.
First placed Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot, second placed N2 humanoid robot, developed by Noetix Robotics, and third placed X02-lite humanoid robot, developed by Shanghai Droid Robot Co., Ltd., are seen at an award ceremony following the Beijing E-town Half-Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon on April 19, 2025, in Beijing, China.
PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images
Many spectators shared videos of the robots in action on social media.
The first-ever Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon comes one month after Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot showed off its latest development, featuring some new dance moves.
In a video released by Boston Dynamics on March 19, the company showcased its latest robot, called Atlas, breaking it down with some legwork combos and ending in a cartwheel. The robot demonstrates the use of reinforcement learning with references from human motion capture and animation.
The Massachusetts-based robotics company — famous for videos showcasing robots dancing, pulling Santa’s sleigh and even casually showing off how to parkour — shared the video on YouTube, showing how Atlas can turn a handstand into a roundoff and crawl on the ground (although the crawling could use some improvement).
Atlas, which is “designed for real-world applications,” is the freshest iteration of the company’s humanoid robots and is its first fully electric model. An earlier version of Atlas was hydraulic-powered.
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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