Smartphone maker Honor’s humanoid robot broke the men’s world record in China, leaving humans far behind.
Published on 19 April 2026
A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners has broken the world record at the Beijing Half-Marathon, demonstrating the rapid technological progress achieved by Chinese manufacturers.
Spectators lined the streets in Yizhuang, south of the capital, on Sunday to watch the machines and their human rivals race, with each group kept in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.
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Some robots were highly agile, running like famous runners like Usain Bolt, while others had more basic abilities.
The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and racing for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the approximately 21 km (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 km/h (15.5 mph), according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That was much faster than the top-placed runner in Sunday’s race, while also beating Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo’s current men’s world record of 57:20.
The result reflected great progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly, and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.
According to organizers, the number of humanoid entries increased from about 20 last year to more than 100, indicating the growing popularity of the field.
‘Very good’
Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and photograph the leading robot as it ran by.
She told the AFP news agency that she was excited by such a leap in technology and thought the program was “very cool”.
But, she added, “As someone who works for a living, I’m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is moving so fast that it could start impacting people’s jobs”, especially with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Humanoid robots have become a common sight in the media as well as in public places in China in recent years.
Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday’s race with his family, said robots could “become part of our daily lives” within several years, potentially being used for “things like household chores, accompanying the elderly or basic care” or “dangerous jobs, even firefighting.”
The Humanoid Half-Marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularize the technologies used in creating and operating such machines.
In a sign of the industry’s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI in China was expected to hit 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8 billion) in 2025, according to a government agency study.
“For thousands of years, humans have been on top on planet Earth. But now, look at the robots. In terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sporting event, they are already starting to overtake us,” Xie said.
“On the one hand, it makes you feel a little sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.”
