BEIJING, April 19. /TASS/. The Chinese capital has successfully held the world's first half-marathon with the participation of humanoid robots. About 12,000 people and more than 20 robots ran the 21-kilometer race in the southeast of the city.
According to the jury, the first robot to finish was Tiangong 1.2 max (1.8 meters tall and weighing 52 kilograms): its time was 2 hours and 40 minutes. In the men's race, Ethiopian athletes won with times of 1 hour and 2 minutes (men's race) and 1 hour and 11 minutes (women's race).
The robots ran the distance together with humans, but on a separately designated track. The Chinese Athletic Association granted the marathon the official status of a competition involving artificial intelligence.
Robots weighing from 17 to 88 kilograms participated in the race. The shortest robot was 75 centimeters, the tallest 1.8 meters. Tiangong 1.2 max was constantly in the lead, but not without an emergency: at one of the sites it fell down, requiring emergency technical assistance. This android is adapted to move on rough terrain and optimally maintains its balance.
According to the organizers, they received more than 30,000 applications from those who wanted to participate in the competition. The age of the runners ranged from 16 to 76 years, with the majority of participants between 30 and 39 years old. Among them there are foreigners, citizens of 20 countries and regions, including Germany, Canada, South Korea, the United States and Japan.