A GLOBAL technological milestone was reached in Beijing on Saturday as humanoid robots competed in a half-marathon for the first time.

The Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot, co-developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center and Shenzhen-based robotics firm UBTECH, completed the historic 21.0975-kilometer race in two hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds, beating 20 other robot teams.

The robots that took part in the race varied widely in technology and design, from the 180-cm-tall Tiangong Ultra to the 75-cm-tall Little Giant. They are designed for deployment in different fields, including manufacturing, health care, and education.

The robots were accompanied by human trainers, some of whom physically supported the machines during the race.

Teams were allowed to replace batteries and even swap robots in a relay-style format during the competition.

“Tiangong Ultra crossed the finish line about 30 minutes earlier than expected,” said the center’s CEO Xiong Youjun. “All the robots today basically performed great in dealing with challenges such as turns and speed bumps. We made history together.”

Tiangong Ultra, which weighs approximately 52 kilograms, maintained a pace of 6.2 mph (10 kph) during the race, with a maximum speed of 7.5 mph.

It wore an orange sleeveless shirt with its name written on the left shoulder and specialized black running shoes.

(SD-Xinhua)