A humanoid robot has made headlines in Beijing after outperforming human runners and setting a new record at a half marathon horra moment that highlights just how fast technology is evolving.
The race took place in Yizhuang, in the southern part of the capital, where crowds gathered along the roads to watch something you don’t see every day: robots and humans competing side by side. To keep things safe, both groups ran in separate lanes.
Some of the robots moved with surprising speed and coordination even drawing comparisons to sprint legend Usain Bolt while others were clearly less advanced.
The standout performer was a humanoid robot developed for Chinese smartphone brand Honor. It completed the 21-kilometre race in just 50 minutes and 26 seconds, averaging about 25 km/h.
That time didn’t just beat every human runner in the race it also smashed the existing men’s half marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds, set by Jacob Kiplimo.
What makes this even more striking is how far the technology has come in just a year. In the previous edition of the race, many robots struggled to stay upright, with the fastest taking over two hours and 40 minutes to finish.
This time, there were more than 100 robot participants, compared to just around 20 last year.
For spectators, the experience was both exciting and a little unsettling.
One attendee said the robots were “pretty cool” but admitted the speed of progress raises concerns about jobs, especially as artificial intelligence continues to improve.
Others saw the bigger picture. Some believe robots could soon become part of everyday life helping with household chores, caring for the elderly, or even handling dangerous tasks like firefighting.
They’re designed to push innovation and showcase what’s possible with robotics and AI. And with billions already being invested in the sector, it’s clear this is only the beginning.
Still, for some, there’s a strange feeling watching machines start to outperform humans even in something as fundamentally human as running.
As one spectator put it, it’s both impressive and a little humbling at the same time.
