For the first time ever, humanoid robots ran side by side with humans in a half-marathon in Beijing, marking an unusual blend of sports and technology.
Twenty-one robots from Chinese tech firms like DroidVP and Noetix Robotics participated in the 21-kilometer Yizhuang half-marathon over the weekend. The machines varied in size—from compact bots under 120 cm tall to nearly life-sized ones at 1.8 meters. Some featured humanoid designs with expressive faces, even capable of winking and smiling.
Organizers treated the event more like a motorsport challenge, as engineering and navigation teams closely monitored the robots throughout the course. According to Beijing officials, the race required advanced AI capabilities.
But experts are more skeptical. Alan Fern, a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, said in a Reuters report that the focus shouldn’t be on AI breakthroughs. “(The robot half-marathon) is more of a hardware endurance demonstration,” he noted.
“Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility,” Fern added. “Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don’t demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence.”
Although humanoid robots have appeared at past marathons in China, this is the first time they’ve officially competed alongside human participants. As China pushes forward in the robotics race, some question whether such spectacles reflect meaningful industrial progress.
