Twenty -one humanoid robots joined thousands of corridors at the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing on Saturday (19). It was the first time this type of machine ran alongside humans on a 21 -kilometer course.
Chinese manufacturers like Droidup and Noietix Robotics were available in all shapes and sizes, some less than 120 cm (3.9 feet), others up to 1.8 m (5.9 feet). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with female characteristics and the ability to blink and smile.
Some companies tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing authorities described the event as more similar to a running car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams.
“The robots are going very well, very stable … I feel that I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI.”
The robots were accompanied by human coaches, some of whom had to give physical support to the machines during the race.
Some of the robots wore running sneakers, one of them wearing boxing gloves and one wearing a red track on their heads with the words “intended for victory” in Chinese.
The male race winner had a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes. The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, from Beijing’s Human Robotics Innovation Center, with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
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The center is 43% owned by two state -owned companies, while the Xiaomi technology giant’s robotics (1810.HK) and the Chinese company leading in humanoid robots Ubtech holds the same participation in the remainder.
Tang Jian, director of technology at the Robotics Center, said Tiangong Ultra’s performance was aided by long legs and an algorithm that allows the way the way humans run a marathon.
“I don’t want to boast, but I think no other robotics company in the West has equaled Tiangong’s sports achievements,” Tang said, adding that the robot changed the batteries only three times during the race.
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Robots fought
Some robots, such as Tiangong Ultra, completed the race, while others had difficulties from the beginning. A robot fell on the starting line and was lying for a few minutes before getting up and off. One of them hit a handrail after running a few meters, causing his human operator to fall.
Although humanoid robots appeared in marathons in China in the last year, this is the first time they run alongside humans.
China expects investment in the latest industries such as Robotics to help create new economic growth engines. Some analysts, however, question whether robots in marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential.
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Alan Fern, Professor of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at Oregon State University, said that, unlike the allegations of Beijing authorities that such a race requires “AI advances”, the software that allows the humanoid robot race been developed and demonstrated for over five years.
Chinese companies have focused a lot on displaying walks, running, dance and other agility.
“These are usually interesting demonstrations, but they don’t show much about the usefulness of practical work or any kind of basic intelligence,” said Fern.
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Tang, the robotics center, said the focus will be the industrial applications of humanoid robots, “so they can really get into factories, commercial scenarios and finally in residences.”
