The standout performer, developed by Honor, completed the 21-kilometre course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, according to a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. The timing placed it ahead of the current human world record set by Jacob Kiplimo, who clocked about 57 minutes at a Lisbon road race in March.
The performance marked a sharp improvement from the event’s inaugural edition last year, when the winning robot finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. This year, participation expanded significantly, with more than 100 teams taking part, compared to 20 previously. Several of the leading robots outpaced professional human runners by over 10 minutes.
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The race, held in parallel tracks for robots and approximately 12,000 human participants, also reflected advances in autonomy. Beijing E-Town said about 40% of the robots navigated the course independently, while others were remotely operated. Despite the progress, the event was not without glitches, one robot fell at the start line, and another collided with a barrier.
According to state media outlet Global Times, a separate remotely controlled robot from Honor crossed the finish line first in 48 minutes and 19 seconds. However, the autonomous robot secured the official win under the event’s scoring rules. State broadcaster CCTV reported that the second- and third-place finishers, also from Honor and using autonomous navigation, completed the race in about 51 minutes and 53 minutes, respectively.
The event also showcased broader developments in China’s robotics sector. A recent assessment by Omdia ranked AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics, and UBTech Robotics Corp. as first-tier global vendors for general-purpose embodied intelligent robots by shipment numbers, each delivering over 1,000 units last year.
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