The Beijing Half-Marathon offered a harsh lesson in the current limitations of humanoid robots. While 21 robotic entrants aimed to demonstrate marathon-level endurance, only four successfully completed the 21.1 km race. This dramatic failure rate underscores the vast distance between robot capabilities and human athletic stamina. The race highlighted ongoing issues in power efficiency, stability in dynamic environments, and robust autonomous navigation when exposed to real-world variables. While the ambition to build marathon-capable robots remains, this event makes it clear that considerable technological progress is still required before they can rival human performance in such demanding physical feats.

Photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on Pexels
Photos provided by Pexels