21 humanoid robots lined up alongside 12,000 human runners in Beijing for the world’s first robot vs. human half-marathon. Spoiler: the humans obliterated them — but one robot, Tiangong Ultra, did cross the finish line in 2 hours and 40 minutes, with only a few battery swaps (and one dramatic faceplant).
China’s goal? To lead the global humanoid robot race by 2027. Judging by this “running start,” there’s still a long road ahead — but at least the robots now have sneakers.
