An autonomous humanoid robot completed a half-marathon in Beijing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, marking a significant improvement in robotic running performance compared to previous competitions.
Honor Built Robot Takes Top Autonomous Result
The winning robot was developed by Honor and achieved a time of 50:26. Another robot from the same company completed the course faster, finishing in 48 minutes and 19 seconds, but it was remotely controlled and did not qualify for the top autonomous ranking.
Race results were determined using weighted scoring, which prioritized autonomous operation over raw speed.
Performance Improves From Previous Year
The result represents a substantial improvement from last year’s event, where the fastest robot completed the race in two hours and 40 minutes.
While the robot’s time is faster than the current human world record of 57 minutes set by Jacob Kiplimo, comparisons between robotic and human performance remain limited due to differences in how the systems operate.
Mixed Results Across Participating Robots
According to data from Beijing E-Town, approximately 40% of participating robots operated autonomously, while 60% were remotely controlled.
Performance varied across the field. Some robots encountered issues during the race, including one that fell at the starting line and another that collided with a barrier.
Featured image credits: Needpix.com
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