More than 100 robots will compete in a half-marathon later this month, designed to push humanoid machines to their limits in real-world conditions.
Humanoid machines are gearing up to compete in China's second robot half-marathon.
In Beijing, more than 70 teams took part in an overnight test run, sending their machines across a full 21-kilometre course in the city's E-Town development zone ahead of the official race later this month.
The trial simulated key elements of the official event, from route navigation to equipment coordination and emergency response, as organisers prepared for the main race scheduled for 19 April.
Around 40% of teams are now relying on fully autonomous navigation, something organisers say adds “a significant challenge for the robots,” according to Liang Liang of the Chinese Institute of Electronics.
New awards have also been introduced this year, including prizes for endurance — and even for simply making it to the finish line.
That last goal is no small achievement. At last year's inaugural event, just six of the 21 robots that started the race managed to cross the finish line.
For many teams, the event was as much about experimentation as competition.
"We assembled this robot just at 1PM today and immediately entered it into the competition," said Yang Kechang of China Agricultural University, adding that the team was already satisfied just to finish.
Despite setbacks, including overheating joints that required cooling during battery changes, Yang said improvements could come through optimising the robot’s algorithms.
Other robots also struggled to go the distance. Xu Bo of Genisom AI said his team’s 1.3-metre-tall machine ran into similar overheating motor issues and fast-draining batteries.
Participation in the robot half-marathon event has surged dramatically compared to last year, with the number of teams jumping nearly fivefold.
DW Russian 
