On 19 April, the first-ever humanoid robot half marathon was held in Yizhuang (亦庄, also E-Town) in suburban Beijing. Over 20 robots and the teams behind them joined 12,000 people at the E-Town Half-Marathon to compete in the race. The 1.8-metre-tall Tiangong Ultra (天工Ultra) finished first with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds.
Arguably the best-known humanoid robot maker, Unitree, of course, was closely scrutinised. Although the maker did not send an official team, one of the participating teams brought a Unitree G1 to the race. However, when asked about the performance of the robot, Unitree clarified that the team used their own running programme, so its performance depends heavily on the user.
- #全球首个人形机器人半马起跑 First humanoid robot half marathon in the world begins: 16.24 million views on Weibo, ranking number 16 on the Hot Search list
- #机器人跑姿大赏 See how the robots run: 9.89 million views on Weibo, ranking number 18 on the Hot Search list
Netizens, however, were more focused on the comedic moments of the race. From shuffling in baby steps to adorable pint-sized androids, the “see how they run” topic captured many a viral moment. This includes how the Unitree robot got back on its feet right after falling. Pundits find that the race not only allows makers to show off their creations, but also establish standards and attract public interest around humanoid robots.
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