Overview
- Honor’s two-legged robot, racing Sunday in Beijing, completed the 21-kilometer course in 50 minutes 26 seconds, faster than Jacob Kiplimo’s human world record from March.
- The event expanded sharply to more than 100 entrants from about 20 last year, reflecting a rapid build-out of China’s humanoid programs.
- Organizers said about 40% of the robots navigated the route on their own, with the rest steered by remote operators.
- The race still exposed weak spots as several robots fell and the winner hit a railing near the finish and needed help to get up.
- China is pushing humanoids as a strategic industry through policy and public showcases, with state TV featuring robots on-air and Omdia ranking AGIBOT, Unitree and UBTech among the top shippers.