Humanoid robots completed first test run for half marathon 2026

Humanoid robots in China are practicing mocks day and night for an upcoming marathon race.

The first practice test for the highly anticipated 2026 Yizhuang humanoid robot half marathon, scheduled to kick off on April 19 in Beijing, was successfully completed early on Sunday morning.

As reported, more than 20 participating teams, including squads from enterprises and universities, took part in the marathon race trial.

According to the event organizers, this year's racecourse features a fully upgraded racecourse with innovative design changes.

With more teams participating, especially the addition of autonomous navigation teams, the technical requirements for the course and testing have increased.

Last year, all robot teams were manually controlled, either by technicians following alongside or guiding them from the front. 

This year, the newly introduced autonomous navigation teams will rely entirely on the robots themselves, using electronic maps to make real-time decisions and navigate independently.

While this year's course includes more challenging sections, such as urban ramps, undulating roads and eco-paths within parks. These complex conditions place higher demands on the robots' terrain adaptability and motion control algorithms.

The trial also tested the coordination across event management, safety and traffic control, which will help optimize race rules and safety plans, providing valuable practical experience to ensure the smooth execution of the official marathon.

Whereas the practice test mainly aimed to validate technical compatibility and comprehensively assessed the robots' autonomous movement capabilities in real urban environments.

Additionally, the marathon's Key evaluation included environmental perception, self-navigation, real-time decision-making, and battery endurance, verifying their adaptability to complex road conditions and multi-scenario challenges.