{"id":45845,"date":"2026-04-20T03:36:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T19:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=45845"},"modified":"2026-04-20T03:36:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T19:36:56","slug":"robot-wins-beijing-half-marathon-beating-human-world-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=45845","title":{"rendered":"Robot wins Beijing half marathon, beating human world record"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A robot that won a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China&#8217;s technological leaps.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It was the second time Beijing has hosted the robot-only half-marathon aimed at displaying the prowess of Chinese robotics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 13-mile race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, according to a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race kicked off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That was faster than the human world record holder, Uganda\u2019s Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Last year&#8217;s robotic winner won the race in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A humanoid robot runs in the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon.&lt;span&gt; Credit: AP&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/.YeQc6WXshwO55P.lk8PXg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/itv_news_193\/f61fcd7a5fbe277ba85c37fdcf75f9d4\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A humanoid robot runs in the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon.<span> Credit: AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But the competition, which was held alongside a race for humans, wasn\u2019t without hiccups \u2014 one robot fell flat at the start line, another bumped into a barrier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Du Xiaodi, Honor&#8217;s test development engineer, said his team was happy with the results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Du said its robot design was modelled on outstanding human athletes, with long legs of about 95cm, and was equipped with what he called a powerful liquid-cooling system, which was largely developed in-house.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cLooking ahead, some of these technologies might be transferred to other areas. For example, structural reliability and liquid-cooling technology could be applied in future industrial scenarios,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While it will still take time to achieve widespread commercialisation of humanoid robots, spectators were already impressed by the robots. Sun Zhigang, who had been in the audience last year, watched Sunday&#8217;s race with his son.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI feel enormous changes this year,\u201d Sun said. \u201cIt\u2019s the first time robots have surpassed humans, and that\u2019s something I never imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"It wasn't smooth sailing for every robot.&lt;span&gt; Credit: AP&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/xLdxSJGjT0aXuhFE_fmGAQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/itv_news_193\/bb5b5080474e8c50a54f76996978d734\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>It wasn&#8217;t smooth sailing for every robot.<span> Credit: AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Wang Wen, who came with his family, said robots seemed to have stolen much of the spotlight from human runners in the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe robots&#8217; speed far exceeds that of humans,\u201d he said. \u201cThis may signal the arrival of sort of a new era.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Beijing E-Town said about 40% of the robots navigated the course autonomously, while the others were remotely controlled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">State media outlet Global Times reported that a separate, remotely-controlled robot from Honor was the first to cross the finish line in 48 minutes and 19 seconds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But it said the winning one used autonomous navigation and received the championship under the event\u2019s weighted scoring rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">State broadcaster CCTV reported that the runners-up, which were also from Honor and used autonomous navigation, finished the race in about 51 minutes and 53 minutes, respectively. A robot served as a traffic officer to direct the participants with its arm gestures and voice, CCTV added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The display shows how China is pulling ahead of other players, including Europe and the US, in the world of robotics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">London-based technology research and advisory group Omdia recently ranked three Chinese companies \u2014 AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics and UBTech Robotics Corp. &#8211; as the only first-tier vendors in its global assessment for shipment numbers for general-purpose embodied intelligent robots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They all shipped more than 1,000 units of the robots last year, with the first two companies shipping more than 5,000 units, the report said.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-4\"\/>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Subscribe free to<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/itvnews.substack.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:our weekly newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;our weekly newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><span><strong> our weekly newsletter <\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong>for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"my-4\"\/>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Reporting History sees journalists join <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.itv.com\/news\/meet-the-team\/tom-bradby\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><span><strong>News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby<\/strong><\/span><\/a><strong> to revisit their remarkable on-the-day reports of the defining events of the modern age. Listen to the episodes below&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sg.news.yahoo.com\/robot-wins-beijing-half-marathon-155223154.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A robot that won a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China&#8217;s technological leaps&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45845\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}