In what can be called a display of athleticism by machines, dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots ran past professional runners in a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday (April 19). The performance was dominant as they not only broke last year’s record but also surpassed human runners to reach the finish line, seemingly confirming Elon Musk’s prediction that China is Tesla’s most formidable competitor in the AI and robotics space.According to a report by news agency Reuters, the event showed how fast technology in China is moving. A year ago, the same race was filled with mishaps and slow-moving machines, and the contrast between this year and last was “stark”. The report noted that while last year’s champion robot took over two hours and 40 minutes to finish, this year’s winner crossed the finish line in 50 minutes and 26 seconds.
How new robots better than last year’s machines
To put in perspective how better the current generation of robots are, the winner robot, developed by the Chinese brand Honor, was several minutes faster than the human world record (57:31) set by Jacob Kiplimo in Lisbon.Unlike previous years where robots were remote-controlled, nearly half of this year’s entrants navigated the 21 km course entirely on their own using AI. Engineers explained that the winning robot was designed to mimic elite human runners, featuring legs roughly 36 inches long.The team borrowed “liquid cooling” technology to keep the robot’s motors cool during the intense physical exertion. The same tech is used to keep smartphones cooler during extended period of usage. Engineers say the real goal by making the robots run half-marathon is to prove that these robots are durable enough for future work in factories and manufacturing.
Elon Musk: ‘Tesla’s only real competitor is China’
The race results serve as a reminder of comments made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. During an earnings call last year, Musk noted that China would likely be Tesla’s biggest rival in the humanoid market.Musk said, “I think China will be by far the biggest competitor in the humanoid robot market. China is extremely good at scaling and manufacturing and is also strong in AI—the models being released there are already quite good and are improving rapidly.”Earlier this year, China’s annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala, often compared to the US Super Bowl, showcased humanoid robots from four domestic startups during the Lunar New Year celebrations this week. ThisThe gala featured robots from Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix, and MagicLab performing martial arts and fight sequences with swords, poles, and nunchucks alongside human child performers.
