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E-mail China.org.cn, April 15, 2025
Beijing will host the world's first humanoid robot half marathon on April 19, the latest testament to the city's advances in robotics.
Nearly 20 teams of humanoid robots are participating in this event. For all of them, it will be their first time running a half marathon.
The course has not been specially paved for the humanoid robots in the marathon, said Liang Liang, deputy director of the management committee of the Beijing E-Town. Instead, the standard 21 kilometer course runs entirely on public roads. Human athletes and humanoid robots will run on the same route, but their lanes will be separated to prevent interference.
The course features varying slopes, and the robots will need to cross railway tracks and navigate six left turns and eight right turns.
Currently, some humanoid robots are capable of running autonomously. Taking this into consideration, the organizers have allowed the participating robots to run autonomously, follow a runner, or be remotely controlled.
In the follower mode, each robot will be accompanied by a pacer ahead, equipped with a signal transmitter to guide the robot. While for remotely controlled robots, the operator will follow behind, controlling the robot's movements.
Similar to human marathon races, this event will provide aid stations for the robots, offering spare batteries and other tools. Support vehicles will also be on standby to replace parts or even swap robots in case of any unexpected issues.
The organizing committee said the event will be streamed live across various media platforms.
