WSJ - "Man Versus Machine as China Shows Off Humanoid Robots in Half-Marathon"
"The human male champion completed the race in one hour, two minutes and 36 seconds, followed by thousands of exhilarated human runners. Some were exhausted, resting nearby to catch their breath.
After two hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, Tien Kung Ultra was the first robot to reach the finish line. A large crowd of spectators, including government officials, was eagerly awaiting the robots. Many surrounded Tien Kung Ultra to take photos. The robot maintained its blank expression.
In the end, only Tien Kung Ultra and Little Rascal N2 were able to meet the original cutoff time, and the organizers extended it to 4 hours and 10 minutes so that more robots could finish the race. Little Rascal’s sibling model Xuanfeng Xiaozi N2—or Whirlwind Kid—was among the robots that followed, state media showed. While team Tien Kung stuck with one robot throughout the race, others switched.
Hang Qian, a 29-year-old Beijing resident who ran the half-marathon, said he beat Tien Kung Ultra by about 10 minutes.
“For ordinary people, a half marathon is an extremely challenging sport and everyone gets exhausted. But robots can continue on by replacing the battery,” Hang said"
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