This is a translation of a foreign article, so there may be translation errors.
https://hothardware.com/news/humanoid-robot-shatters-human-half-marathon-record
Humanoid Robot Shatters Half-Marathon World Record.
Step aside, humans. An autonomous bipedal humanoid robot has surpassed human runners by setting a new world record of 50 minutes and 26 seconds at the Beijing half-marathon. There's no need to throw off your running shoes just yet, but the future of sports may have more to do with lithium-ion battery electrolytes than Gatorade electrolytes.
The bipedal model created by smartphone manufacturer Honor, which was the star of this competition, crossed the finish line of the 13.1-mile course faster than Kenya's Jacob Kipchoge's previous world record (50 minutes 26 seconds versus 57 minutes 20 seconds). Second and third place were also taken by Honor's autonomous units, which recorded 51 minutes and 53 minutes respectively.
While these machines, competing on a separate track from humans, dashed without being affected by humidity or lactic acid buildup, creating a major upset, spectators and runners watched with a mixture of awe and slight existential dread. Unlike their carbon-based competitors, these robots didn't need to pace themselves or visualize the finish line. They simply executed their task at an average speed of 15 miles per hour.
Honor's robot showed some stumbling at the starting line, but once it got moving, it looked nearly invincible. The other participating units weren't quite as impressive, but overall, China continues to take massive strides in the autonomous robotics field (forgive the pun). In fact, the best-performing unit at the same event last year recorded a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Of course, the results of this competition will reignite debates about ethical and competitive implications within the sports world. Even among the cheering crowds, there were certainly those who felt that the presence of machines diminished the value of the inherent human struggle and hardship of long-distance running. This is an issue that arises despite the organizers having the robotic division run in a designated dedicated lane to avoid physical interference with human competitors.
This milestone clearly demonstrates that the hardware limitations that once held back humanoid robots are rapidly disappearing. As algorithms and hardware improve, it will be interesting to see how much further the performance gap between humans and machines will widen next year... provided they don't militarize this technology.
▶ Original source: https://hothardware.com/news/humanoid-robot-shatters-human-half-marathon-record
