The 21 humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at Yizhuang Half-Marathon in Beijing on Saturday. These machines raced with humans on a 21km (13 miles) course.
Robots from Chinese manufacturers such as Droidup and Noetix Robotics come in all shapes and sizes shorter than 120 cm (3.9 feet), while others are 1.8 m (5.9 feet). One company boasted that the robot looked almost human and had feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.
Some companies tested the robots a few weeks before the race. Beijing officials described the event as similar to race car competition given the need for engineering and navigation teams.
“The robots are running very well and are very stable. I feel like I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI,” said Septator He Sishu, who works for artificial intelligence.
The robot was accompanied by a human trainer, some of which had to physically support the machine during the race.
Some robots wore running shoes. One wore boxing gloves and the other was a red headband with the word “winning” in Chinese.
The winning robot was Tiango Ultra, a Beijing Innovation Centre for Human Robotics, with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The male race winner was 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The center is 43% owned by two state-owned companies, but Tech Giant Xiaomi’s robot flock and Chinese humanoid robotics company Ubtech have equal shares for the rest.
Tan Jiang, Chief Technology Officer of the Robotics Centre, said Tiangon Ultra’s performance is supported by long legs and algorithms, allowing it to mimic the way humans run marathons.
“I don’t want to boast, but I don’t think other robotic companies in the West are consistent with the results of Tiangon’s sports,” Tan said, adding that the robots only switched batteries three times during the race.
Some robots are struggling
Some robots like the Tiangong Ultra completed the race, but the other robots struggled from the start. One robot fell on the starting line and lay flat for a few minutes before awake and taking off. After a few metres, one person crashed into the railing, causing a human operator to fall.
Humanoid robots have performed in Chinese marathons for the past year, but this is the first time they have raced alongside humans.
China hopes that investments in frontier industries like robotics will help create a new engine of economic growth. However, some analysts have questioned whether robots entering the marathon is a reliable indicator of industry potential.
Alan Fern, a professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, said that such races need a “breakthrough in AI.” Contrary to claims from Beijing officials.
“Chinese companies really focus on showing off walking, running, dancing and other feats of agility.
“In general, these are interesting demonstrations, but they are not very demonstrated in terms of useful work or the usefulness of all kinds of basic intelligence,” Fern said.
Tang, CTO at Robot Center, said: “For us, the focus will be on industrial applications of humanoid robots, which will actually be able to enter factories, business scenarios and ultimately into households.”
