Lightning, a humanoid robot built by Chinese smartphone company Honor, made history at the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon on April 19. The two-meter-tall machine finished 21.1 kilometers in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating the men's human world record by nearly seven minutes. The robot, which uses liquid cooling technology adapted from Honor's smartphones, ran autonomously without human control.
The achievement is remarkable when compared to previous years. Just twelve months earlier, only about 20 robot teams competed, with only six finishing. The winning machine took roughly two hours and 40 minutes. This year, 102 teams participated with over 300 humanoid robots total, and 47 teams completed the course. Honor robots took the top three positions.
Experts attribute this rapid progress to advances in Chinese robotics technology, including better power systems, perception abilities, and joint motors. The race serves as a public test for humanoid robots, pushing them into real outdoor conditions with heat, wind, and obstacles.
For context, the human half-marathon race in Beijing was won by Zhao Hai-Jie in 1 hour 7 minutes 47 seconds, a respectable time. However, Lightning's achievement demonstrates how quickly robot technology is advancing. During the race, Lightning collided with a barricade near the finish line but was repaired and completed the course anyway.