On April 19, 2026, the Lightning robot from the Qitian Daxisheng team crossed the finish line of the 2026 Beijing Yizhuang Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds—a time that exceeds the current men's half marathon world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds.
This achievement marks a historic moment in embodied intelligence: robots have moved from running a marathon to running faster than humans. The competition attracted over 100 teams from more than 10 provinces across China, with 5 international teams from Germany, France, Portugal, and Brazil participating for the first time. Notably, all international teams chose Chinese-made robot platforms, demonstrating China's leading position in humanoid robotics.
This year's competition introduced a groundbreaking rule: autonomous navigation and remote-controlled groups competed simultaneously, with remote-controlled teams receiving a 1.2x time penalty. Approximately 40% of participating robots completed the race autonomously—a clear signal that embodied AI has matured from laboratory demonstrations to real-world reliability.
Key performance metrics include maximum speeds of 10 meters per second, independently developed liquid cooling systems reducing joint temperatures from 70-80°C to approximately 60°C, and battery swaps completed in under 10 seconds. These advances reflect systematic optimization across motor power, thermal management, and autonomous navigation systems.
