Overview

• The inaugural humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing featured 21 robots racing alongside 12,000 human participants over a 13.1-mile course.
• Tiangong Ultra, a robot from the Tien Kung Team, won the robot category, finishing in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.
• Despite advancements in bipedal robotics, only six robots completed the race, with many experiencing breakdowns, overheating, and mechanical failures.
• Robots required significant human intervention, including duct tape repairs, battery swaps, and water sprays for cooling, underscoring current technological limitations.
• The event served as a public stress test for next-generation robotics, revealing gaps in hardware endurance and autonomy despite progress in mobility design.