A bunch of robots ran a half-marathon alongside humans and it was incredibly goofy

Beijing held what’s being called the world’s first half-marathon for robots, allowing bipedal bots to compete alongside human runners, and as one might expect, ridiculousness ensued. The robots, which had human operators running with them, for the most part struggled to make it through the course at all, let alone complete the full 13 miles within the four-hour cutoff time. “One fell at the starting line,” Bloomberg reports. “Another’s head fell off and rolled on the ground. And one collapsed and broke into pieces.” They may not be gold medalists just yet, but the videos sure are entertaining.

The humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing just started! pic.twitter.com/8vr2nXQwuR

— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) April 19, 2025

According to Bloomberg, 21 robots participated in the race, but the winner — X Humanoid’s five-foot-ten Tiangong Ultra — was one of only four to make it all the way to the end in the allotted time. And at two hours and 40 minutes, its finishing time was more than double that of the winning human runners.

The teams were allowed to do battery swaps (Tiangong Ultra reportedly finished on its third battery) and even switch out their robots mid-race for substitutes, though doing that came with time penalties. Along with Tiangong Ultra, which ran at around five miles per hour, the robot runners included Noetix Robotics’ N2, a Gundam-inspired robot, a “female-looking” bot called Huan Huan, and the 30-inch-tall Little Giant robot made by local college students, Bloomberg reports. Many of them were wearing human running shoes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-bunch-of-robots-ran-a-half-marathon-alongside-humans-and-it-was-incredibly-goofy-215134524.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/ai/a-bunch-of-robots-ran-a-half-marathon-alongside-humans-and-it-was-incredibly-goofy-215134524.html?src=rss
созданный 1mo | 19 апр. 2025 г., 23:10:18


Войдите, чтобы добавить комментарий

Другие сообщения в этой группе

MasterClass subscriptions are 40 percent off for Memorial Day

If you're on grilling duty this Memorial Day and stressing about getting the steak and veggies just right, we've got a deal for you. The

23 мая 2025 г., 14:10:17 | Engadget
An Elden Ring movie, directed by Alex Garland, is in the works

Bandai Namco has confirmed the rumors going around that

23 мая 2025 г., 14:10:16 | Engadget
iRobot's Roomba Combo 10 Max is $620 off for Memorial Day

The high-end iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max is

23 мая 2025 г., 14:10:13 | Engadget
Engadget Podcast: The AI and XR of Google I/O 2025

Would you believe Google really wants to sell you on its AI? This week, we dive into the news from Google I/O 2025 with Engadget's Karissa Bell. We discuss how Gemini is headed to even more places,

23 мая 2025 г., 14:10:12 | Engadget
A two-pack of Blink Mini 2 security cameras is only $38 for Memorial Day

Blink deals are back for Memorial Day, making it a good time to stock up on security cameras if you have an existing system or try out one of our favorites for the first time. A particularly great

23 мая 2025 г., 14:10:09 | Engadget