The Tiengong Ultra robot ran a half marathon. He had a pretty good time

The Humanoid Robot Tiengong Ultra was the first to cross the finish line on Saturday in the historic half -marathon in Beijing. It took him 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. According to the Chinese media, these were the first such competitions in the world in which both people and robots competed.

The route of the race was common to people and robots, although divided into separate zones, so that there was no collision with machines. It was also intended to enable robot operators to control them and service them.

Tiengong Ultra, measuring 1.8 m robot from the Beijing Center for the Innovation of Humanoid Robotics, needed to cover a route with a length of 21.0975 km over twice as much time than the fastest man that day, who finished running with a result of 1 hour. and 2 min.

According to the Pengpai portal, 20 teams of Chinese producers joined the half marathon. The robots differed in growth – from 75 to 180 cm and weight – from 10 to 88 kg. However, they all had to be two -legged, and some had specially designed running shoes.

The winning robot weighed 55 kg and was able to reach a maximum speed of 12 km/h. at an average of 10 km/h Designers have equipped the “athlete” with wireless navigation technology for independent route planning, speed adjustment and autonomous running. However, some robots required a permanent company of technicians who kept them on a special harness.

The organizers emphasize that during the competition the testing of the strength and resistance of heat mechanisms, as well as the optimization of power systems and quick battery replacement technology was of key importance. All robots participating in the competition required several times the power change, which was compared to PIT rates in Formula 1 racing. According to the rules, the replacement time was included in the final result.

Robot designers expect that the data collected during the race will improve stability, gait planning and coordination of machine movements – so that robots can efficiently move in difficult external conditions.

Not all humanoids coped well with it. Some had problems from the very beginning, and one of them fell over on the starting line.

“Participation in the competition is a victory, and completing them – heroism,” said Liang Liang, deputy director of the Administrative Committee of the Economic and Technology Development Zone in Beijing.

Some analysts are not convinced that putting robots in half marathons is a reliable indicator of their industrial potential. The Chinese authorities, however, have high hopes for investments in industries such as robotics, hoping that they will contribute to the dynamizing economic growth.

From Beijing Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

KRP/ Szm/