The world’s first half-marathon with humanoid robot participants in Beijing has offered a striking glimpse into the progress and challenges of the country’s robotics industry, as only six out of the 21 robotic runners completed the competition. The 21km race, held in the Yizhuang district of China’s capital city, featured robots running alongside human runners for the first time. It evoked images of the first motor race 131 years ago, when 21 early automobiles competed in Paris at a time when horse-drawn carriages were the main form of transport. The Saturday event showcased China’s ambition to grow companies capable of rivalling Boston Dynamics and Tesla, which is developing the humanoid robot Optimus. China has emerged as a leader in humanoid robotics, with 56 per cent of the world’s 100 publicly traded companies in the sector based in the country, according to Morgan Stanley. Companies such as Unitree Robotics, AgiBot, Galbot, Engine AI and Leju Robotics planned to produce more than 1,000 robots this year, according to TrendForce. While Chinese companies have recently poured resources into developing and promoting humanoid robots, the half-marathon showed that it could be years before the machines can replicate simple human motion. Tien Kung – a 180cm, 55kg robot developed by Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, also known as X-Humanoid – claimed first place in the humanoid category, completing the course in two hours and 40 minutes. It was the only one to finish in under three hours, the minimum threshold for half-marathon qualification set by the Chinese Athletic Association. The runner-up, Beijing-based Noetix’s N2, finished in three hours and 37 minutes, while Shanghai-based DroidUp finished in four hours and 25 minutes. X-Humanoid chief technology officer Tan Jian told local media after the race that the team spent eight months preparing Tien Kung, including reducing the robot’s weight and enhancing its joints to manage heat during running. Tan said that Tien Kung’s longer legs gave it a speed advantage, and that the team used reinforcement learning to train it with human running data. The robot fell once during the race and required three battery swaps, according to local media reports. Other robots also encountered obstacles. Videos of the race shared on social media showed robots falling, trembling and struggling to stay upright. One robot’s head detached after a fall. Although it quickly recovered, its human guide had to carry the head while following behind. Human guides accompanied most of the robots in the race. One used a wireless tag to transmit signals guiding the robot, akin to operating a remote-controlled vehicle. One widely shared video showed a Unitree robot falling shortly after the race began. The Hangzhou-based start-up, whose robots gained attention for performing a Chinese folk dance during the Spring Festival Gala in January, later clarified that it did not officially participate in the race. Unitree robots were used in the race by clients, but performance can vary depending on preparation and operator skills, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The robots’ limitations drew a variety of pessimistic comments online. One user on the microblogging platform Weibo argued that only robots capable of running without a remote control should qualify as “basic humanoids”. Despite the challenges, industry experts remain hopeful about the potential of humanoids. Zhan Wei, a manager at Shanghai-based robotics solution provider Ti5Robot, said in an online webinar that the race was an opportunity to showcase the robots’ progress. “It’s not about who runs faster, but whether one has the courage to take this step,” Zhan said.