Monday Apr 20, 2026
Monday Apr 20, 2026
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A humanoid robot runs alongside human competitors in the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing
A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners has broken the world record at a Beijing half-marathon, showcasing the rapid technological advancements achieved by Chinese makers.
Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital’s south on Sunday to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.
Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities.
The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21km (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25km/h (15.5mph), according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That was far faster than the top human in Sunday’s race, while also surpassing the current men’s world record of 57:20, held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.
The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly, and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.
The number of humanoid entries jumped from about 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector’s growing popularity.
Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces.
The humanoid half-marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularise the technologies used in creating and operating such machines.
In a sign of the industry’s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($ 10.8 bn) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency.
