Beijing hosts 'world's 1st' humanoid robot half marathon

The city of Beijing hosted a half marathon on April 19 featuring humanoid robots together with amateur runners, describing the event as the first of its kind in the world, Report informs via Kyodo News.

The event came as the Chinese government is promoting the development of robots and artificial intelligence amid an intensifying technological rivalry with the United States.

In the half marathon covering around 21 kilometers, separate courses were set for the robot and human runners. The robots were required to be bipedal and able to run autonomously or by remote control and finish within about three and a half hours.

About 20 teams participated in the event, in which they were allowed to change batteries and field several robots to run the race as a relay.

The height and weight of the robots varied, with the tallest standing at 180 centimeters and the smallest at 75 cm. Wearing bibs with their race numbers, the robots departed from a Beijing park at one-minute intervals.

Some of the teams were hampered at the start by technical issues.