Robot Half Marathon 2026: Honor "Lightning" Wins in 50 Minutes - AI Manufacturing Integration
At the April 19, 2026 Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, the "Lightning" robot from the Qitian Dasheng team (Honor) clinched victory with a net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This not only significantly improved upon last year's champion but also broke the human half marathon record, becoming the dark horse of this year's robot half marathon.
The key to Honor's success lies in its decade-long accumulation in smartphone manufacturing supply chain. The 159 core metal structural components supporting the Lightning robot were manufactured by Lingyi Innovation Manufacturing's Hengli factory, covering critical motion units including hips, legs, feet, and torso.
National humanoid robot innovation center chief scientist Jiang Lei commented: "If last year's half marathon tested humanoid robot reliability, durability, and adaptability, this year's event showcases manufacturing progress empowered by embodied AI."
Many enterprises fielded multiple teams this year, testing capabilities across整机 manufacturing, supply chain integration, and product stability. Currently, China's leading humanoid robot companies have widely adopted embodied AI development and design paradigms—the key to rapid iteration.
CICC Research Managing Director Xie Chao noted that humanoid robot industry's supply-side technological progress has been significant, especially in motion coordination capabilities which improved notably compared to a year ago.
Industry predictions suggest humanoid robot production could reach 100,000 units level in 2026.
