Chinese robots race with humans

On the morning of April 19, at the Beijing-Yizhuang High-Tech Park, the world's first humanoid robot half marathon officially opened. The event brought together 20 teams from technology companies, research institutes, clubs, and universities in and outside China.

The race takes place over a distance of 21 km, from Nanhaizi Park, through Baotong Avenue, Wenbo Bridge, Tongminghu Park, and ends at Information City in Beijing.

Unlike conventional races, the event uses a human-machine model. The technicians run the same route, but with separate median strips. This is the first time in the world that a humanoid robot has had to adapt to an outdoor field environment over a long distance. The conditions create great challenges in terms of balance, navigation, and signal transmission.

According to the organizers' requirements, the robot must be humanoid, walking or running on two legs. The machine must not have wheels or special moving mechanisms. The device can operate automatically or be controlled remotely. The 21 km course of the competition includes many complex curves and uphill and downhill terrain, making it difficult for robots that are not well designed.

There is a technical support set up on the left side of the track. Each team is allowed to add up to 3 people to run with the machine. In addition, the organizers have arranged some additional supply stations in the middle of the race, where the robot can be maintained and have its battery replaced.

Team Tiangong (Thien Dong) is the champion of the world's first robot marathon with a time of 2 hours and 41 minutes. The device is 180 cm tall, weighs 52 kg, and has an average speed of 10 km/h.

Little Naughty Boy N2 (1.2 m tall, 30 kg) came in second. It has a small body, but it is optimized for running, simulating human movement mechanisms. This robot also recovers excess kinetic energy, adjusts its gait to suit the terrain, and balances its center of gravity.

The race also had some problems, such as the machine's screws loosening and having to be adjusted. Halfway through, the Tornado team's robot's feet wore out due to the high friction of the road surface. The developer had to wear special shoes for the device.

This year’s competition was missing Unitree, China’s most famous humanoid robot startup. However, the Unitree G1 product was still registered by users, but did not achieve outstanding results. After the race, the company representative responded to the press that it could not participate directly due to a busy schedule. At the same time, the low result did not reflect the full potential of the G1 model because it was programmed and refined by users instead of the development team.

Source: https://znews.vn/robot-trung-quoc-chay-dua-cung-nguoi-post1547128.html