Humanoid robot breaks half marathon world record in Beijing

The humans were left far behind as smartphone maker Honor’s humanoid robot shattered the men’s world record in China.A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners has broken the world record at a Beijing half-marathon, showcasing the rapid technological advancements achieved by Chinese makers.Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital’s south on Sunday to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Manchester United beat Chelsea as Cunha strike boosts Champions League hopelist 2 of 4NBA: Doncic-less Lakers shock Rockets to take West playoff series openerlist 3 of 4Real Sociedad defeat Atletico Madrid to win Copa del Rey trophylist 4 of 4MLS: Messi double helps Inter Miami slay Rapids in front of huge crowdend of listSome of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities.The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21km (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25km/h (15.5mph), according to state broadcaster CCTV.That was far faster than the top human in Sunday’s race, while also surpassing the current men’s world record of 57:20, held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly, and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.The number of humanoid entries jumped from about 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector’s growing popularity.A humanoid robot runs alongside human competitors in the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing [Haruna Furuhashi/Pool via Reuters]‘Pretty cool’Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past.