Humanoid Robots Prepare for China's Second Annual Half-Marathon Race

Test Run Precedes Official Robot Half-Marathon More than 70 teams participated in an overnight test run in Beijing's E-Town development zone.

The test involved sending humanoid machines across a 21-kilometre course. It occurred ahead of the official race scheduled for 19 April. The trial simulated route navigation, equipment coordination, and emergency response.

Around 40% of teams relied on fully autonomous navigation. Liang Liang of the Chinese Institute of Electronics stated that fully autonomous navigation adds a significant challenge for the robots. New awards have been introduced this year, including prizes for endurance and for making it to the finish line.

The number of teams in the robot half-marathon event has jumped nearly fivefold compared to last year.

Challenges Faced by Teams in Test Run Yang Kechang of China Agricultural University said 'We assembled this robot just at 1PM today and immediately entered it into the competition.'

His team experienced overheating joints that required cooling during battery changes. Yang Kechang said the team was already satisfied just to finish. Yang Kechang said improvements could come through optimising the robot’s algorithms.

A team’s machine experienced overheating motor issues and fast-draining batteries. Humanoid machines are preparing to compete in the event. At last year's inaugural event, six of the 21 robots that started the race managed to cross the finish line.

Background on the Competition The test run took place in Beijing's E-Town development zone.

The main race is set for 19 April. Euronews reported on the participation and challenges in the overnight trial.