Humanoid Robots Make History In Beijing Half-Marathon, Completes Race In Under 3 Hours

In a historic first, humanoid robots ran alongside human participants in a half-marathon in Beijing, showcasing both the advancements and ongoing challenges within the robotics industry.

What Happened: The 2025 Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, held on Saturday, featured over 12,000 human participants and 21 humanoid robots, according to Business Insider.

The robots, each with a unique design, ran in a separate lane from the human runners.

The robots had approximately three and a half hours to finish the course, with awards in three categories: race completion, best endurance, and most popular robot.

Despite rigorous preparation, not all robots were able to finish the race. Some tripped and fell, while others veered off course.

Nevertheless, Tien Kung Ultra, a robot designed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, made history by becoming the first humanoid robot to complete the race in 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Li Quan, deputy head of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, stated that the event could “spark discussions and deepen the public’s understanding of robot capabilities,” thereby propelling the industry’s growth.

Why It Matters: This event is not just a sporting spectacle but also a technological test. The race comes at a time when tech giants like Apple Inc. AAPL and Meta Platforms Inc. META are reportedly vying to develop AI-powered humanoid robots.

Moreover, Salesforce CRM CEO Marc Benioff has expressed his belief in AI-powered agents and humanoid robots as the future of digital labor. This marathon serves as a real-world demonstration of the potential and limitations of these technologies.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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