The humanoid "Tianlong" robot model has been deployed in many application scenarios in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Beijing announced on Tuesday that it will hold the world's first human and robot marathon on April 13, a groundbreaking event featuring people and humanoid robots running together.
According to the event organizer, the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, humanoid robots from dozens of companies will participate in a half-marathon during the event.
During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Li Quan, deputy head of the area, said that the competition will have a cutoff time for robots at around three and a half hours.
"During the race, robots are allowed to change batteries," he said. "Robot teams from a company can also participate in the form of a relay by swapping robots. The performance will be evaluated based on the finishing time and the number of robot changes during the race. Each time a robot is changed during the race, a penalty of 10 minutes will be incurred."
The humanoid "Tianlong" robot model has been deployed in many application scenarios in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Participating robots are required to possess a humanoid appearance and mechanical structures capable of walking or running on two legs, excluding wheeled structures, Li added. Remote-controlled and fully autonomous robots are both eligible.
Some 12,000 participants will take part in the race. For safety reasons, robots and human runners will use separate lanes, according to the organizer.
The top three finishers, whether human or robotic, will receive prizes. The humanoid robots will be awarded prizes for finishing the race, best endurance and most popular robot.
Companies, research institutions, robot clubs and universities from all over the world are welcome to participate in the marathon. The organizer will open registration for the event between March 5 to 11.
The humanoid "Tianlong" robot model has been deployed in many application scenarios in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, which is in the process of building itself into an artificial intelligence town, announced plans last week to offer over 10,000 robot placements valuing nearly 5 billion yuan ($686 million) in robot application opportunities over the next two years, with over 1,000 specifically for humanoid robots.
The application scenarios released encompass nine sectors, including advanced manufacturing, education, landscaping, industrial parks, commercial services, healthcare, power inspection, municipal management and community property management, covering industrial enterprises, hospitals, schools and public spaces.
The humanoid "Tianlong" robot model has been deployed in many application scenarios in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
In the manufacturing sector, the pilot projects will involve companies such as JD, Xiaomi Automotive and Bayer, focusing on material handling, quality inspection and packaging, with different types of robots being put onto production lines by the end of next year. Over 5,000 units are expected to be deployed.
