Beijing (TDI): For the first time ever, twenty-one Chinese humanoid robots have participated in the 21-km Yizhuang half-marathon alongside humans, on Saturday. The robots were built by Chinese manufacturers including DroidVP and Noetix Robotics.
These robots came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 cm, while others as tall as 5.9 feet. One manufacturer boasted that its robot almost looked like a human, having feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.
The robots were fully equipped with the running gear and accessories such as running shoes. One robot was donning a red headband with the words “Bound to Win,” while another went to the extent of wearing boxing gloves during the race.
Most of these robots were accompanied by their human trainers who had been physically assisting the machines during the race.
Some Chinese manufacturing companies had tested their humanoid robots for weeks before the final marathon. Many people compared the marathon to a race car competition, due to the presence and constant monitoring of engineering and navigation teams.
A spectator enjoying the marathon commented, “The robots are running very well, very stable… I feel I’m witnessing the evolution of robots and AI.”
Tiangong Ultra became the wining robot with a running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. The robot was built by the Beijing Innovation Center of Human Robotics.
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The Chief Technology Officer of the company, Tang Jian, said that Tiangong Ultra’s brilliant performance was due to its long legs and an algorithm which had allowed it to imitate humans during the race.
Complementing the robot’s performance during the marathon, Tang Jian said, “I don’t want to boast but I think no other robotics firms in the West have matched Tiangong’s sporting achievements.”
Not all robots who participated during the race had performed well. One robot fell at the starting line and laid flat on the ground for a few minutes before gathering the strength to get up and take off.
While another robot had crashed into a side railing after running a few meters, causing its human operator to fall over.
After showcasing these robots running like humans during the marathon, China has been hoping that future investments in the robotics industry could help create new engines of economic growth, replace human workers, and increase the output in the factories.
However, it is unclear whether the participation of humanoid robots in the marathon would help China achieve that.
“Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility. Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don’t demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence,” Alan Fern, a Professor of Computer Science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University said.
Tang Jian, on the other hand, stated, “A focus going forward for us will be industrial applications for humanoid robots so they can truly enter factories, business scenarios, and finally households”
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, Europe's Security, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
