Robots lose against humans in half-marathon

CHINA: ROBOT Tiangong Ultra finished a half-marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes on Saturday in Beijing at the E-town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon. But it was no match for the fastest human finish of 1 hour, 11 minutes, 7 seconds.

The world’s first human and humanoid robot half-marathon (21 kilometers or about 13 miles) included 21 bipedal robots racing alongside 10,000 humans.

The robots from Chinese manufacturers, such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics, came in a variety of shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120 centimeters (3.9 feet), others as tall as 1.8 meters. One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile. There was no comment on how that would help the robot run faster in the race.

Engineers operating the robots could make adjustments at aid stations. While the human racers had water and snacks along the way, the robots were treated to batteries and technical tools.

Organizers said the race was a technical demonstration, and no robot actually had a chance of winning.

China tries to boost tech

It was part of a boost for AI and robots by the Chinese government, as Beijing tries to grow its technological strength against the United States.

China is trying to boost economic growth by increasing investment in AI and technology.

“Chinese companies have really focused on showing off walking, running, dancing, and other feats of agility. Generally, these are interesting demonstrations, but they don’t demonstrate much regarding the utility of useful work or any type of basic intelligence,” Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, told Reuters news agency.

China is hoping that investment in frontier industries like robotics can help create new engines of economic growth. Some analysts, though, question whether having robots enter marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential.