China hosted the world's first humanoid half-marathon, featuring over 20 robots competing against 12,000 humans. While technologically impressive, the robots, including the winning Tiangong Ultra, finished significantly behind the human winners, completing the 21km course in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The race showcased China's advancements in humanoid robotics, a sector identified by the government as crucial for technological competition and economic growth. Despite needing battery changes and human assistance, the robots demonstrated progress in endurance and gait, though they still lag behind human runners.

Prepared by Jonathan Pierce and reviewed by editorial team.