At 7:30 AM on April 19, the world’s first humanoid robot half marathon kicked off in Beijing Yizhuang. Twenty teams of humanoid robots completed the 21.0975 km course.
The footage shows the 1.8-meter tall Tiangong Ultra robot taking small steps and sprinting at a high frequency.
Despite being the shortest robot in the competition, the “0306” Little Giant from Beijing Vocational College waved to the audience while running, winning cheers from the crowd.
The only female robot, “Huan Huan,” broke down right after the start, and another robot’s head fell off but continued the race after being helped up.
Steel Treasure team member Huan Huan robot (center) during the race. Photo credit: Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Chenlin.
Some robots, appearing relaxed, managed to surpass several others that fell, illustrating a philosophy of “slow is fast” in life.
Many robots participated not for rankings but to gain visibility, stopping to perform for the cameras.
There was a significant size difference among the robot competitors, but taller robots do not necessarily have an advantage over shorter ones.
Robots do not complain of fatigue, but they can run out of power.
In addition to low battery life, prolonged walking can cause overheating in the robot joints, requiring human teammates to spray cooling liquid in a timely manner, testing a scenario rarely seen in the lab.
At the starting phase, nearly every robot’s appearance elicited cheers from the audience. Some participating runners expressed, “Today, there are no personal bests (PB), I just want to see the robots.”
On the same day, the first humanoid robot half marathon concluded, and the results were announced: First place: Tiangong team, no robot changes, total time 2:40’42”, final time 2:40’42”.
Second place: Little Rascal team, one robot change, total time 3:27’50”, final time 3:37’50”.
Third place: Voyager II team, two robot changes, total time 4:00’56”, final time 4:25’56”.
It is reported that in addition to determining the top three winners, the organizing committee also awarded completion prizes, best endurance awards, best popularity awards, best gait awards, best shape innovation awards, and other special awards. Notably, the medals awarded to the robot competitors are shaped like robots.
Yushu Robot G1 Appears at the Finish Line, Company Responds: Officially Did Not Compete
At the event, the Yushu Technology G1, which demonstrated complex movements such as “carp jumping” and “side flips,” fell right after the start.
Some media reported that Yushu Technology did not officially compete, and that the G1 robot was purchased by a third-party client for the competition.
Subsequently, Yushu Technology responded: “Several independent teams are using (the G1 humanoid robot), the performance of the robot varies greatly depending on different operators or developers, so please do not misunderstand.”
It is reported that the champion Tiangong Ultra stands about 1.8 meters tall and weighs about 55 kilograms. This year, it not only increased its speed from 6 km/h to a peak speed of 12 km/h but also became smarter by using the “one brain, multiple capabilities” and “one brain, multiple machines” general-purpose embodied intelligence platform “Hui Si Kai Wu.”
Tiangong team spokesperson Wei Jiaxing stated: “To achieve excellent results in this marathon,we overcame hardware challenges such as body stability, lightweight design, and joint overheating during prolonged movement,and optimized motion control algorithms to further enhance joint coordination, gait coordination, and the ability to navigate complex terrains. During the competition, the ‘Tiangong Ultra’ maintained a pace of 7-8 km/h.”
Some media commented that despite many “embarrassing moments,” some robots’ gaits appeared somewhat awkward and not as fluid as human gaits. However, at the event, human participants and spectators showed great enthusiasm and tolerance towards the robots, continuously cheering them on.
The continuous innovation of technology relies on an inclusive environment, bold attempts, and every small step taken by humanoid robots today may be a giant leap for technology and industry towards the future.
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Editor: Zhong YinReview: Liu WenSource: China Youth Daily, Legal Daily