How about adding a special participant for this year's half-Marathon?
Beijing to host historic marathon event to be attended by human and robot runners in April
The 2024 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon began on November 10, 2024. The "Tiangong" robot, serving as a "closing rabbit" (a pacer who encourages and motivates runners to keep going), crossed the finish line alongside participants. Source: english.beijing.gov.cn
China is preparing for a groundbreaking event in April, as it hosts the world's first marathon to feature human and humanoid robot runners together, the Global Times learned from the event organizer, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, on Tuesday.
For the first time, dozens of humanoid robots will participate in a half-marathon to be held in Beijing's Daxing district. Some 12,000 participants will take part in the race, with robots from more than 20 companies running alongside them on the 21km route, according to local authorities.
The top three finishers, whether human or robotic, will receive prizes, according to the organizer. Companies, research institutions, robot clubs, and universities will participate in the marathon with their humanoid robots. Remote-controlled and fully autonomous robots are eligible, and operators may replace batteries during the race.
The marathon will feature robots developed by over 20 companies, each meeting criteria that include a humanoid form and the capability to run on two legs. The humanoids must also be between 0.5 meters to 2 meters tall.
Among the notable participants is "Tiangong," a humanoid robot developed by China's Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center, which previously ran at the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing, Xinhua News Agency reported.
The integration of robots in marathons is becoming an increasing trend. Wei Jiaxing, marketing director of Tiangong's developer, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Tiangong, a humanoid robot with an average speed of 10 kilometers per hour, will participate in the race. "It will compete from start to finish in an official marathon for the first time," according to Wei.
China is positioning itself at the forefront of humanoid robot innovation. Taking Beijing as an example, the city is preparing for more robot-based competitions, including the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Sports Games later this year.
Beijing plans to hold in August the games' main events where humanoid robots will be the competitors, along with sideline events focusing on human-robot interactions. The main events will include major categories such as track and field, soccer, application scenarios, and integrated skills, the Global Times learned from the official website of the Beijing municipal government.
In 2025, Beijing plans to prioritize the development of future industries including humanoid robots, commercial space, biomanufacturing and new materials, according to the government work report presented to the third session of the 16th Beijing Municipal People's Congress on January 14.
"US tech companies, such as Tesla and NVIDIA, have certain advantages in areas like precise upper limb manipulation and operational capabilities, as well as in high-end chip manufacturing and cloud computing services," Yao Qiyuan, marketing manager of the Shenzhen-based EngineAI Robotics Technology Co, told the Global Times on Monday, adding that while Chinese companies excel in motion control technologies and the creation of advanced AI models, offering a wide variety of application scenarios.
"If we compare the humanoid robotics industry to a marathon, China and Western counterparts are all within the first 1,000 meters of the starting line," Jiao Jichao, vice-president and executive dean of UBTech Robotics' research department was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Yao also noted that humanoid robots have applications beyond running marathons. They have potential in areas such as intelligent manufacturing, medical care, and the service industry. Success depends on reducing costs and expanding application scenarios, he added.
China's humanoid robot industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. In 2023, China installed about 276,300 robots, representing 51 percent of global installations, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The nation's robotics industry is projected to grow to 400 billion yuan ($55 billion) by 2030.
According to local media outlet Shanghai Observer reports, Shanghai is actively promoting the development of the humanoid robot industry ecosystem, with several unicorn companies such as Fourier Intelligence, Agibot or Zhiyuan Robotics, emerging in the sector. Agibot shared footage of its manufacturing facility on its official website, which reportedly has produced 1,000 general-purpose embodied humanoid robots so far.
On the global stage, Tesla's bi-pedal humanoid robot Optimus is capable of navigating uneven terrain utilizing neural networks to manage its electric limbs, the company's CEO Elon Musk posted on X on December 2024. Musk has also predicted that by 2040, the global use of humanoid robots will exceed 10 billion.
Global Times
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