Chinese robot sets new half-marathon world record, surpassing Jacob Kiplimo's time
via Le Matin2 min read
A Chinese robot, developed by smartphone brand Honor, completed a 21.0975-kilometer half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, setting a new world record. This performance translates to an average speed of 25 kilometers per hour, significantly faster than the human male world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds held by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo. To ensure safety, robots and human athletes ran on separate, parallel tracks. The event highlighted significant advancements in robotics since 2025, with the winning robot in the first edition completing the race in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, marked by instability. This year, robots demonstrated fluid movements, and the number of participating teams increased from around twenty to over a hundred, with designers from China, Germany, France, and Brazil. Approximately 40% of the robots operated autonomously, while the rest were remote-controlled. This growth is supported by substantial investment, with 73.5 billion yuan approximately 10.2 billion USD injected into robotics and embodied AI in China by the end of 2025. Experts predict these humanoid robots could be integrated into private and public life within three to five years, with potential applications including household tasks, elder care, and hazardous environment interventions like firefighting.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Matin.
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