Over the weekend in China, a humanoid robot broke the world half-marathon record—the human record—by seven minutes.
The standout was a robot created by the Chinese firm Honor (the smartphone manufacturer), which completed the 13.1-mile race in 50 minutes, 26 seconds. The human benchmark, established by Ugandan Olympic medalist Jacob Kiplimo, is 57 minutes, 20 seconds. This result signifies a remarkable achievement especially considering that, merely a year prior, the fastest robot at the same half-marathon event took two and a half hours to finish the distance.
However, Honor’s robot was not the sole contender. The competition featured over 100 humanoid robots from 76 organizations throughout China. The robots lined up alongside 12,000 human runners in Beijing’s E-Town, albeit on separate routes to prevent mishaps. The disparity in performance between humans and robots was clearly evident.
Run, Robot, Run
A humanoid robot is crafted to replicate the structure and movement of the human body, equipped with legs, arms, and sensors that enable it to interact with its surroundings. In this instance, the victorious robot integrated features inspired by elite athletes: long legs (nearly a meter), sophisticated balance systems, and a liquid cooling system, akin to that of smartphones, to avert overheating during the race.
Furthermore, many participating robots operated autonomously, functioning without direct human intervention. Utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms, they could modify their speed, maintain equilibrium, and adapt to the terrain fluidly. Notably, the Honor robot that reached the 50-minute mark functioned autonomously. The Chinese manufacturer also showcased another robot, controlled remotely, that covered the same distance in even less time: 48 minutes, 19 seconds.
As anticipated, there were some mishaps during the race. Some robots toppled over, others strayed off course, and several required technical support along the route. While the physical capabilities of humanoid robots have progressed swiftly, their reliability is still under development. Naturally, the laughter and mockery are no longer as prevalent as they once were, replaced by applause and expressions of astonishment.
Robot Superiority
Similar to the robots that gained attention for their impressive martial arts performance a few weeks ago, this long-distance race forms part of China’s broader strategy to showcase its leadership in advanced robot development.
One doesn’t need to be a robotics specialist to recognize that this achievement illustrates that machines can surpass humans in specific physical tasks under controlled circumstances. (It’s difficult to envision the winning robot achieving the same outcome, for instance, if it started to rain during the race.) Yet humans still possess advantages: Running straight is fundamentally different from executing intricate real-world tasks, such as manipulating fragile items or engaging socially.
Nevertheless, it’s understandable that the image of a robot crossing the finish line in record time, outpacing human athletes, prompts several questions. Is this the dawn of a new era where machines redefine physical boundaries?
One might contend that a car is a machine, and those have always outpaced humans. Yet a humanoid robot is specifically designed to imitate humans. It’s more concerning to witness one best humanity at its own game—even if many of them are still stumbling along the way.
This story originally appeared in WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.