Chinese humanoid robots get reality check in half-marathon debut

Asia Times

22-04-2025

Six out of 21 Chinese robots completed the world's first half marathon (21.1 kilometres) for humanoid robots in Beijing on April 19, with the winner setting a record time of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Over 12,000 people participated in the marathon on the same day, and the human winner reached the endpoint in 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The Tien Kung Ultra robot, developed by X-Humanoid, a Beijing-based state-owned enterprise, won the race for humanoid robots. It is 1.8 meters tall and weighs 52 kilograms.
The first runner-up, Noetix Robotics' N2, finished the half-marathon in 3 hours 37 minutes. It is 1.2 meters tall, weighs 29 kilograms, and wears children's trainers.
The second runner-up, DroidUp's X02, finished the race in 4 hours and 50 minutes. It wears boxing gloves.
An unofficial team entered the competition using a Unitree G2 robot, but the robot fell at the starting point and became a talking point of the event.
Unitree said that the company did not send a team to participate in this marathon as it has been busy recently. It added that anyone who bought a Unitree robot can deploy it in activities, but different training will lead to different results.
On April 10, Unitree released footage saying it will be live-streaming robot combat in about a month.
Tang Jian, chief technology officer of X-Humanoid, said his team only used one robot to complete the half-marathon, while other players needed to change robots several times.
He admitted that the X-Humanoid robot had fallen once during the marathon due to battery failure and had three battery swaps during the race.
'We have spent seven to eight months preparing for this marathon by doing a lot of tests on the robot and fine-tuning its algorithm,' Tang said.
'Firstly, we reduced our robot's weight; secondly, we improved its heat dissipation system to avoid overheating; Thirdly, we added a cushioning function to minimize wear on its sole and joint modules,' he added. 'What is more important is that we increased the length of our robot's legs to run faster.'
'The commercialization of humanoid robots will have three phases. In the first phase, robots will be used in general industries; then, they will be used in specific commercial environments to finish tasks such as packaging and scanning codes; finally, they will be deployed to homes to play the role of nanny and housekeeper,' Tang said.
He said it would take Chinese companies three to five years to commercialize their robots, by which time they would be deployed in homes to serve people and do chores.
X-Humanoid, officially known as Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, was formed jointly by robotics firm Ubtech, electronics and electric vehicle maker Xiaomi and the Beijing municipal government.
Shares of the Hong Kong-listed Ubtech Robotics increased 2.9% on Tuesday. Shares of the state-owned Shoucheng Holdings, which has invested in X-Humanoid and Noetix, rose 4%.
According to the marathon rules, each team can deploy three staff members to assist a robot. The robot does not need an autopilot system; its remote controller can be wired or wireless.
The race terrain includes flat land and ramps, with a maximum slope of 9 degrees. The race route has six left-turn and eight right-turn lanes.
One of the robot developers who joined the marathon said this activity aims to test robots' cerebellums (ability to control the body) instead of their cerebrums (ability to make decisions and think).
Of the 21 robot runners, only six completed the race, while the remaining 15 failed. A small robot went up in smoke during a marathon in Beijing on April 7, 2025. Photo: Baidu
A small robot developed by Beijing Polytechnic University students overheated and went up in smoke. Some other teams sprayed water on their robots to keep them cool.
A female-looking robot walked a short distance and fell. One Gundam (from a Japanese comic) robot used four fans to move forward, but crashed seconds after beginning its journey.
'The winning secret of Noetix's N2 robot is its stable mechanical structure and superior algorithm performance,' Hu Chenxu, founder and chief scientist of Noetix, told the media. 'Small robots have a lot of advantages, such as higher flexibility and agility. Many research institutes use small robots to do their research work.' A female-looking robot has ended her journey after walking for a short distance. Photo: Baidu
'Robots need a high adaptability to go from the laboratory to the marathon track,' he said.
He said he once worried that the N2 robot, which is more like a gymnast, would not be a good runner; fortunately, the robot performed exceptionally well, except it needed a new remote controller after a battery change.
He said Noetix's robots are now used in scientific research, education, exhibitions, cultural, and tourism sectors and will be deployed for scenarios such as elderly care, industrial inspection and urban security.
In September 2023, Jiang Zheyuan, a PhD student at Tsinghua University, then 25, founded Noetix Robotics. So far, the company has raised five rounds of funding. It planned to deliver one thousand robots this year and expected positive cash flow in the fourth quarter.
Jiang told Sohu.com in an interview in March that his company needed to commercialize its products as early as possible due to its limited financial resources, unlike DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence company with sufficient resources to pursue technical ideals.
Regarding the robotic race between China and the United States, Jiang said China has a substantial cost advantage. He said it costs only 40 yuan (US$5.5) per hour to collect robotic data in China but US$48 per hour in the US. Besides, he said a wide range of industries in China can provide different environments for companies to improve the algorithms of their robots.
He said that using Chinese humanoid robots will continue to focus on education and exhibition in the next three years. He said Noetix plans to launch a small robot that costs below 10,000 yuan next year.
According to the Gaogong Robot Industry Research Institute, total sales of humanoid robots will reach 12,400 units or 6.34 billion yuan globally in 2025. Chinese companies may sell about 7,300 humanoid robots during this period.
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