On April 19, the 2026 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon got underway, showcasing a groundbreaking event where over 100 humanoid robot teams competed side by side with 12,000 human runners. In a remarkable display of technological prowess, the autonomous navigation robot 'Lightning' from the Qitian Dasheng team emerged victorious, clocking an impressive time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This performance not only eclipsed last year's robot champion time of 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 42 seconds but also shattered the human half marathon world record. The event garnered significant attention from foreign media outlets, with CNN highlighting that China's humanoid robot surpassing the human half marathon world record signifies a major leap forward in the nation's technological rivalry with the United States.

The competition's rules were meticulously crafted to spur technological innovation. For the autonomous navigation group, the completion times were recorded without any weighting adjustments. In contrast, a 1.2 coefficient was applied to the times of the remotely controlled group, ensuring a fair and competitive environment. Throughout the race, the 'Embodied Tiangong Ultra' robot from the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center showcased its capabilities by autonomously performing tasks such as environmental perception and path planning. These achievements laid a solid foundation for the future production and application of humanoid robots.

Beijing has been at the forefront of supporting the robotics industry's growth through a series of strategic policies. The city has established a government investment fund worth hundreds of billions of yuan, opened up a diverse range of application scenarios, and actively promoted the integration of robots into various sectors, including new retail, supermarkets, healthcare, and beyond. These efforts underscore Beijing's commitment to fostering a thriving ecosystem for robotics innovation and development.