21 humanoid robots race marathon with real people for the first time

robot - Ảnh 1. — A humanoid robot named "Tiangong" joins athletes in a half-marathon race in Beijing on April 19 - Photo: REUTERS

According to Reuters, at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on April 19, 21 humanoid robots competed with thousands of athletes on a 21km course.

The robots come from Chinese manufacturers like DroidVP and Noetix Robotics and come in all shapes and sizes. While some are less than 4 feet tall, some are as tall as 6 feet. Some are even boasted by their manufacturers as “almost human-like, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.”

During the event, some robots wore running shoes, some wore boxing gloves, while another robot wore a red headband with the words "Bound to Win" in Chinese, making for a very interesting image.

Robots compete in marathon with humans - Video: New China TV

The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, which ran for 2 hours and 40 minutes. The winner of the race was a man who ran for 1 hour and 2 minutes. The companies said they had been testing the robot for several weeks before the race.

Beijing officials at the event described it as more of a car race than a race, with the robots requiring a team of technicians to navigate, and some requiring mechanical assistance throughout the race. According to Reuters, one robot fell off the starting line and lay flat for several minutes, while another crashed into a guardrail, knocking its driver down with it.

However, it is worth noting that humanoid robots have appeared at marathons in China many times before but did not compete. This is the first time they have raced alongside humans.

China hopes that investing in cutting-edge industries like robotics can help create new engines of economic growth.

The software that allows the humanoid robot to run was developed and demonstrated several years ago, said Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University.

“Overall, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don't demonstrate much about job usefulness or any kind of basic intelligence,” Fern said.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/21-robot-hinh-nguoi-lan-dau-chay-dua-marathon-cung-nguoi-that-20250419161410002.htm