Beijing E-Town will host a humanoid robot half-marathon on April 19, 2026, following the world's first edition in 2025, the Beijing Municipal People's Government Information Office said.
According to Xinhua, the E-Town half marathon will be held concurrently with human runners. The robots will run the same route as the human runners, but on separate lanes separated by a guardrail or median.
This humanoid robot half marathon will feature both autonomous navigation and remote control teams.
The race will introduce special awards including the "best endurance award" to promote energy efficiency, the "most beautiful gait award" for natural and human-like movements, the "best design award" focusing on bionic hand design and facial expressions, and the "best perception award" recognizing real-time environmental adaptation .
Along the marathon course, various services such as robot cheerleading squads, route guidance, trash collection, and performances and interactions will be provided, promoting the elevation of robots' role from "competition tools" to "service partners."
Liang Liang, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, said the event aims to attract teams from overseas and encourage international collaboration in robotics technology.
"This event will transform the technical gaps found in the competition into real-world industrial solutions," said Liang Liang.
These improvements build on lessons learned from the first humanoid robot marathon in 2025, accelerating innovations in joint stability and rapid battery replacement.
On April 19, 2025, the Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won the historic 21.0975-kilometer (km) race out of 20 competing teams with a time of two hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds.
Meanwhile, runners from Ethiopia won the half marathon in both the men's and women's events.
