Man vs. Machine
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A running race (half marathon) in China which included robots.
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/china-worlds-first-humans-robot-marathon?group=test_a
Around 21 humanoid robots officially competed alongside human marathoners in a 13-mile (21 km) endurance race in Beijing on Saturday, April 19th. According to reports, this is the first time such an event has been held.
Competitor robots varied in size, with some as short as 3 feet 9 inches (1.19 m) and others as tall as 5 feet 9 inches (1.8 m). Wheeled robots were officially banned from the race, necessitating that any entrants be able to walk or run similarly to humans.
By all accounts, the robots performed relatively well, with the winning robot, “Tiangong Ultra,” crossing the finishing line in a time of two hours and forty minutes. This was, however, far slower than its human rivals, with the men’s winner completing the race in an impressive one hour and two minutes.
This robot stands at 5 feet 9 inches (1.8 m) and weighs approximately 114.6 pounds (52 kg), maintaining a pace of 6.2 mph (10 kph) and a maximum speed of 7.5 mph (12 kph) during the race. It wore an orange sleeveless shirt with its name written on the left shoulder and black specialized running shoes.
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Jian added that the robot’s battery needed to be changed only three times during the race. As for other robot entrants, many didn’t perform as well.
In particular, one robot fell at the starting line and lay on the ground for a few minutes before getting up and joining the race. Yet another crashed into a railing, causing its human operator to fall over.
