Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners in the half of the Yizhuang marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these cars competed with people during a 21-mm course (13 miles).
Robots from Chinese manufacturers like Droidup and Noetix Robotics came in all forms and sizes, some shorter than 120 cm (3.9 ft), others as long as 1.8 m (5.9 ft). One company boasted that her robot looked almost human, with feminine traits and the ability to wrap and smile.
Some firms tested their robots for weeks before the race. Beijing officials have described the event as more similar to a competition of racing cars, given the need for engineering and navigation teams.
“Robots are running very well, very stable … I feel I am a witness to the evolution of robots and he,” the spectator he said, who works in artificial intelligence.
Robots were accompanied by human coaches, some of whom had to physically support cars during the race.
Some of the robots were wearing running shoes, with a boxing handle and another wearing a red stripe with the words “Bound to Win” in Chinese.
The winning robot was Tiangong Ultra, from the center of the Beijing Innovation of Human Robotics, with 2 hours and 40 minutes. The winner of the men’s race had 1 hour and 2 minutes.
The center is owned by 43% owned by two state -owned enterprises, while the Xiaomi Technology Giant Robotics wing and the main firm of Chinese humanoid robots Ubtech have an equal part in the rest.
Tang Jian, the main technology official for the Robotics Center, said Tiangong Ultra’s performance was helped by long legs and an algorithm allowing him to imitate how people run a marathon.
“I don’t want to boast, but I think no other firm of robotics in the west has match the Tiangong sports achievements,” Tang said, adding that the robot changed the batteries only three times during the race.
Some robots fight
Some robots, like Tiangong Ultra, ended the race, while others fought from the beginning. A robot fell to the start line and lay flat for a few minutes before it got up and out. One crashed into a railing after ran a few meters, causing his human operator to fall upside down.
Although humanoid robots have appeared in marathons in China over the past year, this is the first time they have competed with people.
China is hoping that investments in the border industry as robotics can help create new economic growth engines. However, some analysts ask if robots enter marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential.
Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics at Oregon State University, said that contrary to the claims of Beijing officials that such a competition requires “Progress of AI”, the software that enables humanoid robots to develop and demonstrate more than five years ago.
“Chinese companies are really focused on the display of walking, jogging, dancing and other deeds.
“In general, these are interesting demonstrations, but they do not demonstrate much about the usefulness of useful work or any basic intelligence,” Fern said.
Tang, CTO of the Robotic Center, said: “A concentration that goes ahead for us will be industrial applications for humanoid robots so that they can really enter factories, business scenarios and finally family.”
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