Beijing: Twenty -one Humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half marathon in Beijing on Saturday (April 4), the first time these machines ran alongside humans on a 21 km course.
The robots of Chinese manufacturers such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics came from all shapes and sizes, more short than 120 cm, others as high as 1.8 m. A company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with female characteristics and the ability to wink and smile.
Some companies have tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials described the event as closer to a racing car competition, given the need for engineering and navigation teams.
“The robots work very well, very stable … I think I witness the evolution of robots and AI,” said the spectator Il Sishu, who works in artificial intelligence.
The robots were accompanied by human coaches, some of whom had to physically support the machines during the race.
Some of the robots wore racing shoes, with a boxing gloves by wearing and another wearing a red banner with the “linked to” words in Chinese.
The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, from the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics, with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The winner of the racing men had a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes.
