Chinese humanoids train for the world’s first robot marathon in Beijing

China is set to host what has been dubbed the world's first robot half-marathon in Beijing on April 13, prompting several of the country's leading robot developers to train and prepare their humanoids for the race.

The event—designed to showcase robots' speed, agility, and performance—will provide a novel way to promote Chinese robotic technology. The race will run for 13 miles (21 kilometers), and will prove to be a stress test for the robots, pushing their hardware to limits.

According to reports, the robot-racers will be limited to humanoid, bipedal models like Casbot's Casbot 1 and Magiclab’s Wheat.

Competitor robots can be remote controlled (including semi-autonomous) or fully autonomous. The top finisher could win a modest sum of 5,000 Yuan ($691) as first prize.

There will also reportedly be prizes for robots that demonstrate the best gait, are most popular, as well as for robots that cross the finish line. Entries are restricted to robotics startups, research institutes, universities, robot clubs, and other innovative entities worldwide.

Fine-tuning hardware, algorithms

"The 21-kilometer race is a pretty extreme test," explained Zhou Di, an expert from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, in an interview to Yicai Global. "In industrial and household applications, the ability to run long distances isn’t usually a top priority for robots," he added.

However, the robotic marathon will not only serve as an ingenious marketing tool but also present a genuine opportunity to compare robots. It can be thought of as a kind of trial for potential customers and investors as well.

Both the Casbot 01 and Wheat robots stand over 5.6 feet (1.7 meters) tall and weigh about 132 pounds (60 kilograms), similar to an average human's height and weight. However, as advanced as these two machines are, they still have a long way to go before being able to run extensively.

“For example, if the software sends a command but the robot’s motor turns at the wrong angle, the robot is very likely to fall,” said Chen Chunyu, vice president of Magiclab and head of research and development at the Suzhou-based firm said.

To this end, developers need to fine-tune the hardware and algorithms, which takes about two to three months. “Once stability is accomplished, we start experimenting with new algorithms to teach the robot more complex movements, like running," Chunyu added, while speaking to Yicai.

A true test for entrant robots

Long distance running events like this will act as true tests for entrant robots as they tend to involve complex pieces of engineering. As with humans, running puts a lot of strain on the knees and ankles of robots, requiring high torque to operate. More torque would mean adjustments to the robot’s mechanical structure to withstand higher impact and vibration.

Running for extended periods also requires motors to work constantly, which can lead to overheating and breakdowns. Operating at a high load for long increases the wear and tear on robot parts and shortens their lifespan.

“Only robots that pass this third stage are ready to be delivered to customers,” said Yang Guodong, co-founder of Casbot and head of its sports intelligence and R&D center. “If this competition had been held a year ago, not many robots would have been able to participate,” he noted.