Robots were trailing behind their human rivals a year ago, but one humanoid outpaced the entire field to run a half-marathon faster than even the quickest human.
BEIJING, China — Humanoid robot technology has greatly improved in the past year, and a race Sunday proved just how far the science has advanced.
Just a year ago, robots trailed behind humans for racing speed, but the winner of a half-marathon race for robots in China broke the fastest human record.
The running robot named Lightning finished the half-marathon race in 50 minutes, 26 seconds. That’s more than six minutes faster than the fastest human for the same distance. Lightning also outran the previous robot champion by nearly two hours.
That record is held by Ugandan long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo, who completed the 13-mile race with the remarkable time of 57 minutes, 20 seconds. The world cross-country champion shaved seconds off the previous record and was crowned fastest half-marathon runner in the world earlier this year.
Lightning, a bright red humanoid that stands at roughly 5-foot-7, was developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor.
Lightning’s performance also marked a significant step forward from last year’s inaugural race, during which the winning robot finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds.
More than 300 robots raced in the event, representing more than 100 teams. Beijing E-Town said about 40% of the robots navigated the course autonomously, while the others were remotely controlled.
In China, technology has evolved into an area of competition with the U.S. with national security implications. Beijing’s latest five-year plan vows to “target the frontiers of science and technology.” Speeding up the development of products like humanoid robots and their applications is part of the 2026-2030 plan for the world’s second-largest economy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
