US EditionRobot Beats Human Half-Marathon Record in Beijing
- On Sunday, April 19, 2026, Honor's humanoid robot Shandian won the Beijing E-Town humanoid robot half-marathon by completing the 21-kilometer course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds.
- Participation surged to more than 100 teams this year, marking significant progress from the 2025 inaugural race where winning robots took over 2 hours to finish the course.
- Although Honor's remotely controlled Lightning model crossed the finish line first in 48 minutes and 19 seconds, it was denied the championship under weighted scoring rules favoring autonomous navigation.
- Beating the human half-marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, the winning robot's performance demonstrated robotic capability surpassing elite athletes, though some competitors required assistance after crashing.
- China invested 73.5 billion yuan in robotics and embodied AI in 2025, positioning humanoids for eventual deployment in housework, elderly companionship, and dangerous industrial roles.
378 Articles
378 Articles
Watching Robots Run a Half-Marathon Is Kind of Hilarious (One of Them Is Freakishly Fast Though)
A humanoid robot winning a half-marathon sounds like a milestone until you remember what robots are for. In Beijing’s recent humanoid robot half-marathon, a machine named “Lightning,” built by smartphone maker Honor, clocked 50 minutes and 26 seconds over 13.1 miles. It comfortably beat the human world record of 57:20. Another version, remotely controlled, posted an even faster time before immediately crashing into a barrier at the finish line, …
A robot just won a half-marathon in Beijing, China, shattering human world record · American Wire News
In a sign of the times, a robot just won a half-marathon in Beijing, China, shattering a record along the way. A humanoid machine proved that human athletes can’t keep up after finishing a 13.1-mile race in just 50 minutes and 26 seconds. For reference, Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo completed that same distance in 57 minutes and 20 seconds, which is already an outstanding feat. The bot, named Lightning, raced alongside more than 100 other machine…
Chinese Robots Smash Human Half Marathon Record.
Two robots developed by a Chinese tech company have crushed a human world record for long-distance running at Beijing’s second robot marathon, with another Chinese robot recently coming within a hair of breaking Usain Bolt’s average speed in his world record 100-meter run in 2009.PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Two humanoid robots built by the Chinese have completed a half marathon in 48 minutes and 19 seconds and 50 minutes and 26 seconds. Both rob…
China, for example, sees a great future for humanoid robots in the military industry.
The humanoid robot Shandian from Shenzhen completed the half marathon in Beijing in 50 minutes. Developed by Honor, he impresses with fast running technology and complex cooling.
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