by China is organizing the world’s first foot race between humanoids and humans in April, an event that could boost Beijing’s artificial intelligence goals.
The half marathon, which covers a distance of about 21 km, will be held in the Beijing Economic Technological Development Area – or E-City – in the capital’s Daxing Industrial District.
E-Town has over 100 companies producing robotics core components, complete machines and relevant applications. It accounts for about 50 percent of the city’s manufacturing output of nearly 10 billion yuan (£1.1 billion), according to local authorities.
The event welcomed nearly 12,000 people and humanoid robots to participate with prizes offered to the top three runners.
Companies, research institutions, robotics clubs and global universities have been invited to enter humanoids in the marathon, district officials said.
The most important requirement is that all competing robots must have “a humanoid appearance and a mechanical structure capable of bipedal walking or running movements.”
Competing robots must be between 0.5 m and 2 m tall, with a maximum extension distance from the hip joint to the sole of the foot of at least 0.45 m, E-Town officials said in the statement.
Both remote-controlled and fully autonomous humanoids are eligible for the event, allowing batteries for the robots to be replaced mid-race.
“In the future, Beijing E-Town will focus on promoting the latest artificial intelligence technologies, the industry of high-end humanoid products and promoting a world-class innovation ecosystem,” district officials said.
According to Xinhua State News Agency, China is eyeing the development of a full robotics ecosystem, with the industry expected to grow to nearly $54bn (£43.4) by the end of this decade.
A marathon held in Beijing last year also saw a humanoid race with humans, but Chinese company Galbot’s robot only appeared in the race closer to the finish line to cheer participants. South China Morning Post reported.
The planned event comes amid a global race to create strong artificial intelligence systems in which the United States and China have emerged as close competitors.
Last year, U.S. envoys raised concerns about “China’s misuse of AI” in closed-door talks and urged Washington to cut investments in China for the technology.
