China is set to welcome global "athletes" for a groundbreaking event in April, as it hosts the world's first marathon featuring both human and humanoid robot runners, the event organizer, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, announced on Tuesday.
The event will take place on April 13, with humanoid robots participating in a half-marathon alongside approximately 12,000 human runners. The robots, representing dozens of companies, will race in a separate lane for safety reasons.
Li Quan, deputy head of the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, said at a news conference that the competition will set a cutoff time of around three and a half hours for the robots. The top three finishers, whether human or robot, will receive prizes.
Robots will be awarded for categories such as race completion, best endurance and most popular robot.
"During the race, robots are allowed to change batteries," Li explained. "Robot teams from a company can also participate in relay form by swapping robots. Performance will be evaluated based on finishing time and the number of robot changes during the race. Each robot change will incur a 10-minute penalty."
Participating robots must have a humanoid appearance and mechanical structures that allow them to walk or run on two legs, excluding wheeled robots. Both remote-controlled and fully autonomous robots are eligible.
"We hope that this event will not only showcase achievements in the humanoid robotics industry, but also spark discussions and deepen the public's understanding of robot capabilities, which will help accelerate industry development," Li said.
Companies, research institutions, robot clubs and universities from around the world are invited to participate in the marathon. Registration will be open from Wednesday to March 11.
"Beijing's technological innovation is accelerating in fields such as large-scale artificial intelligence models, multi-source information perception and human-machine natural interaction," said Liu Weiliang, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology. "Robots are evolving rapidly, with innovative humanoid products constantly emerging, demonstrating an unprecedented pace of both physical and intellectual advancement."
The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, which is in the process of developing into an artificial intelligence hub, also announced plans last week to hire up to 10,000 robots from robotics companies over the next two years, with more than 1,000 positions specifically for humanoid robots.
"The area's government has built a bridge for technology implementation through scenarios, policies and services, supporting efficient communication between enterprises and schools," said Cai Chen, executive director of Beijing-based AI and humanoid robotics company UBTech Robotics.
At a news conference on Friday, the humanoid robot "Tiangong" appeared, unveiling a unique "job advertisement" inviting global robotics companies to participate in practical training and hire out their robots for work in the area.
The jobs cover nine sectors: advanced manufacturing, education, landscaping, industrial parks, commercial services, healthcare, power inspection, municipal management and community property management. The robots will be deployed across industrial enterprises, hospitals, schools and public spaces within the area.
In the manufacturing sector, pilot projects with companies such as JD, Xiaomi Automotive and Bayer will focus on using robots for material handling, quality inspection and packaging. Robots and humanoid robots will be integrated into production lines by the end of next year, with over 5,000 units expected to be deployed.
Additionally, the area plans to deploy humanoid robots in factories, mines, power plants and other hazardous environments, alleviating industrial workers from problematic conditions such as high temperatures, pressure and dust.
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