Humanoid robots are invited to compete in a Beijing half marathon in April, which will pit humans and two-legged robots against each other for the first time.The 21-kilometre race will include over 12,000 human runners and more than 20 teams of humanoid robots developed by manufacturers from around the world.Competing robots must resemble human beings and move only via bipedal walking or running, rather than operate on wheels, according to local organiser Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (E-Town).International robots to rival humansThe humanoid robots must measure between 0.5- and two-metres tall, with a maximum extension distance from the hip joint to the sole of the foot of 0.4 metres.E-Town also stated that a mixture of remote-controlled and fully autonomous humanoids can qualify for the event, and manufacturers can replace their robots' batteries during the race.Robots created by national and international companies, research institutions, universities and robotics clubs are invited to enter the event.At the Beijing Yizhuang Half #Marathon on the morning of Nov. 10, the #Beijing humanoid #robot "Tiangong" entered the racecourse and crossed the finish line alongside the runners. #funinbeijing pic.twitter.com/DQM1zjxneK Beijing Daily (@DailyBeijing) November 10, 2024Humanoid robot Tiangong took part in a Beijing half marathon last OctoberAccording to E-Town, the race will be the first time that human and humanoid robots complete a full-session half marathon together.Last October, a humanoid robot known as Tiangong joined the last 100 metres of Beijing's Yizhuang Half Marathon as a "rabbit" the running term for a pacer who enters the end of a race to motivate contestants and was awarded a medal for crossing the finish line.A few weeks later, a four-legged robot dog known as RAIBO2 completed the full Sangju Dried Persimmon Marathon in South Korea.Read: All the cute robots that took over CES 2025Plans for the humans versus robots half marathon follows reports of China's push to expand its position as a global player in humanoid robotics development."As an important hub for the robotics industry in the Chinese capital, Beijing E-Town has more than 140 robotics ecosystem companies, with a total output value of nearly 10 billion [almost 2 billion], accounting for about 50 per cent of the city's total," said the organiser."Moving forward, E-Town will focus on advancing cutting-edge embodied artificial intelligence technologies, industrialising high-end humanoid products, and fostering a top-tier innovation ecosystem," it added.American design studio Fuseproject recently proposed Kind Humanoid, an AI-enabled robot intended for various domestic and commercial environments, while Japanese robotics startup Yukai Engineering debuted a portable cat-shaped robot that blows air to cool down hot food and beverages at last month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.The main image shows Kind Humanoid and is courtesy of Fuseproject.The post China to host world's first humans versus robots half marathon appeared first on Dezeen.