BEIJING - A humanoid robot stunned spectators in Beijing on Saturday after completing a half marathon at a pace rivaling elite human runners, marking a major leap in robotics performance.
The robot, named Lightning, finished far faster than machines in last year’s race, where one took nearly three hours to complete the course.
This year’s event showed rapid progress, with more robots competing and some even outpacing human runners.
“We were able to win mainly because of its very powerful motor, which we self-developed, and its heat dissipation technology,” said robotics engineer Zhang Chong, who was one of the engineers behind Lightning's development.
Officials say competitions like this are helping drive the industry forward.
“We have made collaboration in this industry closer through competitions,” said Liang Hongjun of Beijing’s municipal technology bureau, adding that increased cooperation between manufacturers, software developers and researchers is accelerating innovation and improving results.