Robotic runners hobbled by breakdowns in first half-marathon against humans
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Robots are displayed during the World Intelligence Conference in Tianjin on in 2017. The Congress addressed the research and development of artificial intelligence emerging in daily life applications. (File photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo)
April 20 (UPI) -- Twenty-one two-legged robots took the streets against human competitors in a first-of-its kind humanoid half-marathon in China Saturday, but technical breakdowns left them in the dust.
Video posted by the BBC shows several of the robots waving to onlookers before starting the race, but also breaking down at various points along the course, where races competed on streets canopied by blossoming cherry trees.
At one point, a race official reaches to catch a boxy, silver robot by one of its arms as it is falling to the pavement.
Organizers said the road race was an opportunity for China to showcase its AI technology in the robots. Teams from Chinese companies and universities combined to work on the half-marathon humanoids as the country races to catch up with technology in the United States, where experts say the most advanced and sophisticated robotic technology is being developed.
Robot techs were allowed to replace their competitors' batteries at various points along the course, much as the human runners rehydrated.
The first humanoid competitor, Tiangong Ultra, finished the 13-mile long contest in 2:40, nearly two hours shy of the world record of 56:42, held by Ugandan long-distance specialist Jacob Kiplimo. The human winner of the Saturday race in Beijing broke the tape at 1 hour and 2 minutes.
"I don't want to boast but I think no other robotics firm in the West have matched Tiangong's sporting achievements," Said Tang Jian, chief technology officer for the robotics information center," CNN reported.
He attributed the performance of his company's humanoid racer, 1.8 meters in height, to long legs and an algorithm that allowed it to imitate the movements of humans running a marathon.
Some of the robots were led by remote control. Others were on a leash. The humanoid contestants were competing in a separate lane from the human competitors who had no problem keeping up.
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