Some 21 robots raced alongside thousands of human runners around a 13-mile course in Beijing, China, on Saturday. The shortest robots stood at 3’9”, while the tallest measured 5’9”. The race required that the robots resemble humans and be able to walk or run — wheels were not allowed. The robots were accompanied by human trainers, with some physically supporting the machines during the race. The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, which crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours 40 minutes, while the men’s winner of the race had a time of 1 hour 2 minutes. Tang Jian, Chief Technology Officer and creator of Tiangong Ultra said the robot’s performance was aided by its long legs and an algorithm that allows it to imitate how humans run a marathon. The robot’s battery was changed just three times during the race. Several of the robots wore running shoes, with one donning boxing gloves and another wearing a red headband that read “Bound to Win." One robot fell at the starting line and lay on the ground for a few minutes, before getting up and joining the race. Another robot crashed into a railing, causing its human operator to fall over. It looks like there's at least one thing robots won't be taking over anytime soon.
