Humanoid Robot Beats Human Half-Marathon Record
Monday, 2026/04/20204 words3 minutes782 reads
In a remarkable demonstration of China's technological advancement, a humanoid robot manufactured by Honor completed a half-marathon in Beijing on Sunday in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, surpassing the human world record of approximately 57 minutes set by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo in March.
The performance marked a dramatic leap from the inaugural race last year, when the winning robot required 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. Du Xiaodi, Honor's test development engineer, attributed the success to design innovations modeled on elite human athletes, including 95-centimeter legs and a sophisticated liquid-cooling system developed largely in-house. He suggested these technologies could eventually be transferred to industrial applications.
The competition, held alongside a human race, featured approximately 40% autonomous robots, with the remainder remotely controlled. Despite some mishaps—including robots falling and colliding with barriers—spectators expressed astonishment at the technological progress. One observer noted it might signal "the arrival of a new era."
This achievement aligns with China's strategic emphasis on robotics within its 2026-2030 five-year plan, which targets "the frontiers of science and technology." According to Omdia, three Chinese companies—AGIBOT, Unitree Robotics, and UBTech Robotics—are now first-tier global vendors, having shipped over 1,000 humanoid robot units each in the previous year, with two exceeding 5,000 units.
