China is all set to organize the world’s first marathon featuring human and robot runners. The event will take place in April in the Daxing district of Beijing.This unique half-marathon (21 km) will see dozens of humanoid robots competing alongside 12,000 human athletes. The top three runners will win prizes, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The robots have been developed by over 20 companies and must follow one rule: they should look like humans and be able to walk or run on two legs, not wheels. The marathon is being organized by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as E-Town.

Robots competing in this April event must be between 0.5 meters and 2 meters tall (1.6 to 6.5 feet). They should also have a leg extension of at least 0.45 meters from the hip joint to the sole, according to event guidelines.
Both remote-controlled and fully autonomous humanoid robots are allowed to participate. Operators can even replace their batteries during the race.

One of the robot participants, “Tiangong,” developed by China's Embodied Artificial Intelligence Robotics Innovation Center, can run at an impressive average speed of 10 kilometres per hour, as reported by The Daily CPEC. This half-marathon in Beijing’s Daxing district will feature dozens of robots alongside 12,000 human runners.

Tiangong, a humanoid robot,  came into the limelight last year when it joined the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing, running alongside human athletes at the start and finish lines.However, this April, Tiangong and other humanoid robots will take on a bigger challenge-completing the entire 21-km race in the world’s first marathon featuring both human and robot runners. This event marks a significant milestone in robotics and artificial intelligence development.

Why is China focusing on human robots?

China is focusing on humanoid robots to tackle its demographic challenges, including an ageing population and a shrinking workforce. These issues have pushed China into significant investment in automation and robotics to sustain economic growth and reduce reliance on manual labour.

The Chinese government has identified humanoid robots as a key technology to boost self-reliance and compete globally, particularly with the United States.In 2023, Chinese clients installed 276,288 robots, accounting for 51% of the global total, according to the International Federation of Robotics.

Also, Beijing is planning another major event in August where humanoid robots will compete in various sports, including track and field, football, and skill-based challenges, further highlighting the country’s ambitions in robotics innovation.