Robots ran a half
Humanoid robots completed their first test run for a planned 2026 Yizhuang humanoid robot half‑marathon in China — a novelty test that signals growing crossover between robotics and endurance events []. It’s still experimental, but it hints at how sports tech demonstrations are becoming travel‑friendly spectacles.
The practice run was held from the evening of March 14 into the early morning of March 15, 2026 in Beijing’s Yizhuang district, according to the Global Times (globaltimes.cn). More than 20 teams from tech companies and universities took part in the trial, organizers told CGTN, marking an expansion in entries compared with previous events. (news.cgtn.com) Organizers said this year’s route was “fully upgraded,” adding urban ramps, undulating roads and park eco-paths to raise terrain and motion-control challenges for robots. (news.cgtn.com) The event now features separate Autonomous Navigation and Remote-Control categories, with the official race portal noting a 1.2x time coefficient penalty applied to non‑autonomous (remote‑control) results. (humanoidrobotmarathon.com) The March test specifically assessed environmental perception, self‑navigation, real‑time decision‑making and battery endurance while also exercising traffic control and safety coordination for the April race. (news.cgtn.com) Beyond the race itself, organizers plan pre‑race training, investor matchmaking and a 10,000‑square‑meter robot secondary‑development community, plus “Robot Service Ambassadors” and other support events to build the local robotics ecosystem. (humanoidrobotmarathon.com)
