Beijing’s Humanoid Robot Marathon: A Glimpse of Progress, and the Long Road Ahead
China’s experimental race exposes the messy reality of bipedal robotics
▼ Summary
– Beijing’s Yizhuang district hosted a unique half-marathon on April 19, 2025, featuring 21 humanoid robots alongside 12,000 human runners.
– Only six robots completed the 21-kilometer course, with the fastest robot, Tiangong Ultra, finishing in 2 hours and 40 minutes, compared to the human winner’s time of just over an hour.
– Robots faced significant challenges, including overheating motors, frequent battery swaps, and makeshift repairs, highlighting the current technical limitations.
– The event was part of Beijing’s push to lead in AI and robotics, though experts criticized the lack of true innovation and practical applications.
– Despite the comedic failures and reliance on human assistance, the marathon demonstrated improvements in hardware durability, though true autonomy remains a distant goal.
On April 19, 2025, Beijing’s Yizhuang district hosted a half-marathon unlike any other. Alongside 12,000 human runners, 21 humanoid robots lumbered down a separate track in what organizers hailed as a “world-first” test of bipedal endurance. The result? A humbling reality check for robotics enthusiasts: only six robots completed the 21-kilometer course, with the fastest –Tiangong Ultra – clocking in at 2 hours and 40 minutes. For comparison, the human winner finished in just over an hour.
Rules allowed battery swaps and human assistance (with penalties), but even these concessions couldn’t mask the glaring technical gaps. “This wasn’t a race; it was a survival test,” quipped one spectator.
Overheating Motors, Duct-Taped Shoes: The Bumpy Road to the Finish Line
The robots’ struggles began immediately. One collapsed at the starting line, while another careened into a railing, dragging its operator to the ground. Key hurdles included:
- Thermal Meltdowns: Motors overheated within miles, forcing abrupt shutdowns.
- Battery Blues: Tiangong Ultra required three battery swaps and a human “handler” to stabilize its gait.
- Frankenstein Fixes: Teams stripped robots of non-essential parts (fingers, heads) to save weight. Some wore duct-taped sneakers or foam knee pads.
“We’re prioritizing durability over elegance,” admitted a Noetix Robotics engineer, whose N2 robot placed second with a sluggish but steady pace.
China’s Grand Vision—and the Critics Pushing Back
The event aligned with Beijing’s push to dominate “frontier industries” like AI and robotics, framed as economic growth drivers. Yet experts dismissed claims of breakthrough innovation.
- Alan Fern, Oregon State robotics professor: “Most software here was developed years ago. Dancing robots are flashy, but they don’t solve real problems.”
- Tang Jian, Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center: “Future efforts will focus on factories and elderly care, not marathons.”
Even state-backed teams conceded the limitations. Tiangong Ultra, a 1.8-meter-tall bot developed by a government consortium, relied on pre-programmed marathon algorithms rather than true autonomy.
Standouts and Spectacles: The Bots That Stole the Show
While Tiangong Ultra drew cheers for its human-like stride, the race’s viral moments came from its comedic failures:
- Shennong: A Gundam-inspired bot with drone propellers spun wildly before crashing.
- Huanhuan: Shuffled at a glacial pace, its head twitching like a malfunctioning bobblehead.
- Unnamed Contender: Tripped over its own feet, then lay motionless for minutes, prompting jeers of “Robot down!”
Organizers awarded Tiangong Ultra a “human participation” trophy—a nod to its handler’s sweat-drenched sprint alongside the bot.
For all its flaws, the marathon revealed strides in hardware durability. Robots endured falls, collisions, and Beijing’s spring heat without structural failures. Yet autonomy remains a pipe dream: every finisher relied on human intervention.
“This is phase one,” insisted a race coordinator. “Next, we’ll see robots in factories—not just falling over on racetracks.”
As China accelerates its robotics ambitions, the event underscores a universal truth: building a machine that runs like a human is easy. Building one that thinks like one? That’s the real marathon.
