A New Era of Robotics in Sports
Last year’s Beijing Robot Half Marathon was a chaotic event where humanoid machines stumbled, shuffled, and even shattered under the pressure. However, just 12 months later, spectators were left in awe as a new generation of robotic racers outpaced human athletes with remarkable speed.
More than 100 robots competed alongside 12,000 human runners, separated by a barrier to prevent collisions. Lightning, the winning bot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, not only beat the best human runner of the day but also set a new world record, breaking the previous mark established just last month.
The robot completed the 13.1-mile (21 km) course in an impressive 50 minutes and 26 seconds, significantly faster than the 57 minutes and 20 seconds record set by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo. This time was more than three times faster than last year’s winning robot, which finished in two hours and 40 minutes.
In another demonstration of rapid technological progress, nearly half of this year’s entries raced autonomously, navigating the winding course without any human intervention. Honor, a Huawei spin-off company, secured all three podium spots with self-navigating robots, each posting world-record-breaking times.
Not all robots performed as well as Lightning, and there were still instances of mechanical failures. In one incident, a robot tripped and collapsed before crossing the start line, bursting into dozens of pieces as it continued to move on the ground. There were also familiar navigation errors, with some robots bumping into barriers or veering off unexpectedly.
Despite these setbacks, the overall quality of the humanoid robots showcased was a significant improvement over the previous year’s competition. Xioadi Du, an engineer from Honor’s winning team, explained that the record-breaking bot had been developed intensively over the past year.
Lightning was equipped with extra-long legs measuring 90 to 95 cm to mimic the build of elite human runners. The robot also features liquid cooling technology to manage the heat generated by its powerful leg motors.
According to state media outlet Global Times, one Honor robot actually recorded an even faster time of 48 minutes and 19 seconds. However, it was disqualified from the podium due to weighted scoring rules for being remotely controlled.
Mr. Du stated, “Running faster may not seem meaningful at first, but it enables technology transfer, such as into structural reliability and cooling, and eventually industrial applications.” He added that the technology is still in its early stages, with many advancements expected in the coming years.
Among the crowd, the mood was a mix of awe and apprehension as fans considered the implications of robots surpassing humans for the first time. Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, found the event “pretty cool.”
However, Ms. Han expressed concerns about the impact of fast-moving technology on jobs. She said, “As someone who works for a living, I’m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people’s jobs.”
Similarly, Xie Lei, 41, who watched the race with his family, reflected on the changing dynamics between humans and machines. He said, “For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they’re already starting to surpass us.”
China has increasingly focused on showcasing national advances in humanoid robotics. Earlier this year, during the CCTV Spring Festival gala, dozens of Unitree robots demonstrated their kung fu skills. Wearing red vests, the robots performed kicks, flips, and even moves with nunchucks, swords, and poles.
Their daring performance took place just meters away from human child performers. In the future, it is hoped that robots will replace human workers in areas such as factory labor and even in caring for the elderly in social care settings.
Three Chinese companies—AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics, and UBTech Robotics Corp—are widely regarded as leaders in this technology. This development is particularly crucial for China, which has one of the fastest aging populations globally and a shrinking supply of working-age adults.
According to the World Health Organisation, the population of people over 60 years old in China is projected to reach 28 per cent by 2040.
