Beijing E-Town to host world's first humanoid robot half marathon

Beijing's Economic-Technological Development Area, commonly known as Beijing E-Town, will host the world's first humanoid robot half marathon on April 13, it was recently announced.

According to Li Quan, deputy director of the area's Management Committee, humanoid robots will start alongside human athletes, following the same route but on a separate track. Safety measures, including iron barriers and greenbelt isolations, will be in place to ensure the well-being of both runners and machines.

The race will have a cut-off time of approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes for robots. During the competition, robots will be allowed to swap batteries or even be replaced in a relay-style format. However, each substitution will incur a 10-minute penalty, and final rankings will be determined based on both completion time and the number of replacements used.

To qualify, participating robots must have a humanoid appearance and be capable of bipedal walking or running, as opposed to wheeled movement. They can be operated by manual remote control, semi-autonomously, or fully autonomously.

Robots previously made an appearance at the 2024 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon, cheering on runners at the start and finish lines. This year, Beijing takes it a step further by launching its first humanoid robot marathon, with plans to organize the World Humanoid Robot Games in the run-up to the 2025 World Robot Conference.