On April 19, 2025, Beijing hosted the E-town Half Marathon, marking a unique race between nearly 12,000 human runners and 21 humanoid robots. Ethiopian runners clinched the women's and men's titles, finishing at 1:11:07 and 1:02:36 respectively. However, the standout was Tiangong Ultra, the first robot to complete the race, finishing at 2:40 and within the cutoff time of 3:10. Several robotic participants struggled significantly, often requiring battery replacements and succumbing to technical issues and environmental conditions, indicating that while capable, humanoid robots still face hurdles in endurance races.
Throughout the live broadcast of the race, the commentator informed viewers about the hardships faced by humanoid robot runners, including joints overheating in warmer weather and batteries swiftly losing power in cooler weather.
The humanoid robot winner Tiangong Ultra, which made it to the finish line in 2:40, stole the show. The cutoff race time for humans was 3:10.
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