"Running well, keep it up!"
On the morning of the 19th at 7:30 a.m. (local time), at the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Yizhuang, southern Beijing, the sound signaling the start of the half marathon echoed. The humanoid robot 'Tian Gong' (天工), measuring 180 cm tall and weighing 52 kg, began to run vigorously. The cheering of onlookers grew accordingly. Dressed in an orange sleeveless shirt with its name written on the left shoulder and wearing specialized black sneakers, Tian Gong teamed up with three engineers to tackle the course.
This robot has an average speed of 10 km/h, with a top speed of 12 km/h. On this day, Tian Gong passed the finish line of the 21.0974 km half course in 2 hours 40 minutes and 42 seconds, securing first place among the participating humanoids. Tang Jian, chief technology officer (CTO) at the Beijing Humanoid Innovation Center that developed Tian Gong, noted, "We received help from algorithms that mimic how humans run marathons, using long legs, and I believe no Western robot has achieved comparable results." This innovation center was jointly established by the humanoid corporations Ubitech, electronics company Xiaomi, and the Beijing municipal government.
China has held the world's first humanoid half marathon. While the half marathon is traditionally a human participant event, this year, a track specifically for humanoids has been officially added. With humanoids of varying sizes and performances running, numerous foreign news crews, along with marathoners running in adjacent lanes, forgot about their own record management and cheered for the robots. Although many robots dropped out due to technical defects, it was assessed that this demonstrated the rapid advancement of China's robotics technology.
◇ 21 robots participated… "A milestone showing the present and future of robots"
A total of 21 teams participated in the event. Along with Tian Gong, Uni-Tri's 'G1' and Beijing University of Science and Technology's 'Little Giant' (小巨人) were among those listed. G1 is famous for having appeared this year on the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) during the Spring Festival gala, where it flawlessly executed complex traditional dance moves alongside human dancers, earning applause. Thanks to this, Uni-Tri founder Wang Xingxing attended a forum for private entrepreneurs hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and even delivered a speech, elevating the company to a prominent position in China's cutting-edge technology sector. However, Uni-Tri explained, "The company did not officially participate in the marathon; it was an independent team using Uni-Tri robots."
Tian Gong also appeared in last year's similar event, but at that time, it was deployed near the finish line to act as a pace-maker for marathoners. For the robots' first official marathon, the organizers established various safety regulations. Firstly, robots do not start all at once like human marathoners; instead, they start sequentially at 1-minute intervals to avoid collisions. If the starting interval exceeds 2 minutes, a time penalty is incurred. Running alone is also not allowed. Up to three managers, including engineers, must run alongside. Just as marathoners drink water mid-race, robots can also change their batteries, but they must notify the judge accompanying them in advance. Tian Gong changed its battery three times during the race. It is possible to run in a relay format by replacing the robot itself, but this also incurs a time penalty. The final record is calculated after applying all such penalties.
The course for the day's competition was designed to verify the robots' physical capabilities, mixing flat surfaces and inclines with turns. The time limit was set at 3 hours and 30 minutes. It was also entertaining to see robots wearing outfits favorable for this marathon course. Considering the cloudy weather that day, some robots wore yellow windbreakers, while others donned silver space suits. Models like Tian Gong wore sneakers, while others ran barefoot.
As it was the first event, not many robots made significant records. Only two robots, including Tian Gong, finished within the time limit. The organizers extended the time limit to 4 hours and 10 minutes to allow more robots to complete the race, but this too did not provide much help. G1, for instance, exhibited shaky behavior right from the start. Despite being a straight run section, it kept veering sideways. Due to its slow speed, an engineer barely managed to correct its direction before it crashed into a fence. One robot had an engineer controlling its direction using a rope attached to the back, but it lost control immediately after starting and ultimately collapsed. Another robot, equipped with the face and hairstyle of an adult female, also sat down near the starting line and had to be taken away.
Nevertheless, this event was praised as a significant showcase of the considerable advancements in China's robotics technology and the rapidly growing market. Allen Peng, a professor of robotics at Oregon State University, remarked, "I was sure that no one would complete the mission, but I was very impressed." He continued, "There are many companies developing humanoids in China, the U.S., and Europe, but there is not yet a clear leader in the industry, and it is exciting and interesting to see so many (robot) options available at this point."
According to the '2025 Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Industry Research Report' released earlier this month, the Chinese humanoid market size this year is projected to reach 8.239 billion yuan (about 1.6 trillion won), accounting for 50% of the global market. The state-run Xinhua News Agency described the event as "an important milestone that symbolically showcases the current and future prospects of China's robotics industry, beyond a simple technology demonstration."