Imagine a marathon where robots line up alongside thousands of human runners. That’s exactly what happened in Beijing, where 21 humanoid robots joined 12,000 humans for a 13.1-mile race. It was an exciting scene, but only six robots managed to cross the finish line.
The standout performer was the ‘Tiangong Ultra,’ completing the race in 2 hours and 40 minutes—a time that competes well with human runners. However, most robots faced serious hurdles, needing help like battery swaps and cooling to keep going. Some even donned child-sized sneakers and shed parts like fingers or heads to lighten their load.
This event was a mix of triumphs and mishaps. Take ‘Huanhuan,’ for instance, which shook so hard it could barely move faster than a snail. Then there was ‘Shennong,’ which spun out of control and crashed into obstacles, dragging its human helpers along. The most dramatic moment came when ‘Xuanfeng Xiaozi’ fell apart mid-race, but thanks to some creative duct tape work, it kept on going.
What does this marathon tell us? It highlights both how far we’ve come with bipedal robots and the challenges that remain. We’ve made strides in building robots that can walk steadily and manage heat, but they still rely heavily on human support. As robotics expert Alan Fern told WIRED, “Until five years ago or so, we didn’t really know how to get robots to walk reliably. And now we do, and this will be a good demonstration of that.”
While these accomplishments are impressive, there’s still work to be done. Enhancements in hardware and autonomy are necessary before robots can be widely used in fields like home assistance or disaster response. This marathon was a valuable test of what’s possible today and a reminder of the progress still to be made.
