More than 20 robots race alongside humans at half marathon in Beijing
Humanoid robots have joined thousands of runners at a half marathon in Beijing — the first time these machines have raced alongside humans in a 21-kilometre course.
The 21 robots, sourced from Chinese manufacturers, came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 centimetres and others as tall as 1.8 metres.
One company even boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.
One company boasted that its robot looked almost human. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)
Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race.
Beijing officials described the Yizhuang half-marathon as more akin to a race car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams.
“The robots are running very well, very stable … I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” spectator He Sishu said.
Engineers run with a humanoid robot at a half marathon in Beijing. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)
Robots accompanied by human trainers
The robots were accompanied by human trainers, some of whom had to physically support the machines during the race.
A few of the robots wore running shoes, with one donning boxing gloves and another wearing a red headband with the words “bound to win” in Chinese.
The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, from the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics, with a time of two hours and 40 minutes.
A person takes selfie with winning robot Tiangong Ultra. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)
The men’s winner of the race had a time of one hour and two minutes.
Tang Jian, chief technology officer for the robotics centre, said Tiangong Ultra’s performance was aided by long legs and an algorithm allowing it to imitate how humans run a marathon.
“I don’t want to boast but I think no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements,”
Tang said.
He added that the robot switched batteries just three times during the race.
Some robots struggled from the beginning. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)
Scepticism about robot race
Some robots, like Tiangong Ultra, completed the race, while others struggled from the beginning.
One robot fell at the starting line and lay flat for a few minutes before getting up and taking off.
Another crashed into a railing after running a few metres, causing its human operator to fall over.
Although humanoid robots have made appearances at marathons in China over the past year, this is the first time they have raced alongside humans.
A child interacts with a humanoid robot. (Reuters: Tingshu Wang)
China is hoping investment in frontier industries like robotics can help create new streams of economic growth, Reuters said.
However, some analysts have questioned whether having robots enter marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential.
Oregon State University professor and AI expert Alan Fern said the software enabling humanoid robots to run was developed and demonstrated more than five years ago.
“Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don’t demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence,” he said.
Reuters
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