The world's first half marathon race between humans and humanoid robots will start at 7:30 am on April 19th in Yizhuang, Beijing. Recently, reporters saw at the testing site located at the Beijing Smart Esports Competition Center that robot participating teams are further improving their robot performance through simulation and road testing, preparing for their official debut. The 2025 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon will adopt an innovative format of "human-machine co running" 21.0975 kilometers. It is expected that more than 9000 mass runners and nearly 20 robot companies will participate in the race. The reporter saw on site that the asphalt road surface of the testing site was close to the competition road conditions, and a humanoid robot was running at a speed of about 10 kilometers per hour, and could complete "hot swapping" battery swapping in more than 10 seconds without shutting down. In addition, to reduce the impact of running on the robot body and joints, some humanoid robots wear "sports shoes" to provide protection. At the testing site, the organizers also set up separate rooms for each robot participating team to facilitate robot assembly, testing, and optimization. Liang Liang, Deputy Director of the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, introduced that the organizing committee carefully designed the semi marathon route, incorporating natural, cultural, and technological elements, passing through iconic locations such as Nanhaizi Park, Wenbo Bridge, and Paulownia Avenue. The reporter learned that the terrain of this competition is not simple for robots, including flat asphalt roads, bumpy and cracked roads, as well as long gentle slopes, short steep slopes, and areas such as stone roads, grasslands, and gravel roads. Robots need to accurately adjust their pace and posture, control their power and braking. Liang Liang said that the humanoid robots participating in this competition have different styles, heights, weights, functions, and focuses. Some are good at running, some have high appearance, and some can communicate. Although they all use pure electric drive, their starting methods and running postures are not the same. Guo Yijie, the technical leader of the "Tiangong Team", introduced that the humanoid robot "Horse Racing" needs to be prepared at the levels of embodied intelligence "big and small brains" and ontology optimization. Specifically, in terms of embodied intelligence, the first step is to continuously improve running speed and explore the peak boundaries of joint torque and rotational speed; Secondly, it is necessary to improve the stability of the movement by enhancing the accuracy of the humanoid robot's perception of its own state and environmental state during movement, and making corresponding adjustments; In addition, efforts should be made to enhance the "personification" of robot running by importing human motion data to make the running posture of humanoid robots more natural. In terms of the robot body, Guo Yijie stated that it is necessary to reduce the weight of the robot structure, find a balance point between weight and strength, and design coupling for its legs, improve heat conduction and air cooling technology, and enhance motion stability and endurance. In terms of competition format, the humanoid robot "Horse Racing" is similar to a racing competition, where robots participate in teams and are equipped with synchronized human navigators, operators, and engineers. The process of replacing the robot's battery is similar to the "tire changing" of a racing competition, and the starting mode will also be timed separately in the form of a "qualifying race". This competition has three major functions: a technology testing platform, a capability display platform, and an application promotion platform. It uses a half horse as a scenario to test the technical capabilities of humanoid robots, allowing robots to step out of the laboratory, showcase technological innovation achievements, and promote multi scenario applications Liang Liang said, "The quality of competition results is not the only 'ruler' for evaluating the technical strength and human-machine cooperation ability of participating teams. Each team will improve themselves in preparation and completion, and then demonstrate their abilities in specific practical scenarios." "Running a marathon with human robots is the first time in the world for the organizers, participating teams, human athletes, and audiences. Robot completion is not the end point, but the starting point for industrial development, communication, and mutual learning." Liang Liang Liang hopes that the outside world can view this competition with tolerance and encouragement. Human robots are born to serve humanity, and their small step will be a big step in the development of human technology. (New Society)