This event is different from regular marathons. The first robot to cross the line may not necessarily be the ultimate champion, "said Cai Jizheng, Director of the Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing Industry Bureau of Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, introducing the rules of the 2026 Beijing Yizhuang Humanoid Robot Half Marathon on April 14th. Why is it not necessarily the first to cross the line and win the championship? What are the design considerations behind the competition? The reporter conducted an interview on this matter. First question: What key content should be tested for "night running"? On the early morning of April 12th, on the asphalt road in front of Nanhaizi Park in Yizhuang, Beijing, the sound of metal joints tapping against the road surface could be heard. More than 70 humanoid robot teams were undergoing more than 10 terrain tests to test their abilities in path planning, dynamic balance, and continuous endurance. This special 'night run' is crucial for the official race on April 19th. Multiple robots take great strides and have a fast pace, with some models approaching human jogging speed. This reminds people of the view of Wang Xingxing, founder of Yushu Technology, that humanoid robots have the potential to surpass the running speed of sprinter Bolt in the future. Chu Yang, the head of Hangzhou Y team and market manager of Yushu Technology, introduced that the company has sent multiple teams to participate in the competition for the first time this year, and has completed special adjustments based on the characteristics of long-distance half marathon. The maximum speed of the Yushu robot can reach 10 meters per second, but its actual speed may vary due to factors such as marathon route, supplies, and environment. The specific performance will be revealed in the main race. At the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games, Yushu Robot won multiple championships such as the 400 meter and 1500 meter races. This year's goal is to achieve self breakthrough. Liang Liang, Deputy Secretary General of the China Electronics Society, introduced that the focus of this test is on three major aspects. Firstly, the adaptability test of the track and road conditions, which fully simulates the main race route and adds difficult sections such as continuous downhill and 90 degree sharp turns in Nanhaizi Park to test the stability of the robot under complex terrain and nighttime lighting conditions; The second is the testing of the event system and support system, which involves pressure verification of the entire process of timing, scheduling, supply, emergency response, etc; The third is the autonomous operation capability test of robots, focusing on assessing their path planning, obstacle avoidance, endurance, and night work abilities in fully autonomous mode, in order to troubleshoot problems and accumulate data for the main race. Question 2: How have the participating robots changed compared to last year? Looking back at the first competition in 2025, the number of participating robots was limited, and they generally had unsteady gait, unstable center of gravity, and were prone to falling on bends and slopes. Most of them relied on manual remote control, with weak autonomy and a low completion rate. The highlight of this test is prominent, and the most core change is the large-scale application of autonomous navigation technology. Liang Liang stated that the proportion of autonomous navigation teams in this year's competition has reached 40%, and the competition rules are also inclined towards autonomous technology. Autonomous teams calculate real-time results, while remote control teams need to multiply their results by a coefficient of 1.2. Many robots can achieve fully autonomous perception, planning, and obstacle avoidance, no longer relying heavily on human intervention, which not only enhances the professionalism of the competition, but also better meets the needs of industry implementation. At the same time, more than 70 teams tested on the same platform, exposing common weaknesses in the industry. Liu Xiangquan, head of the Department of Robotics Engineering at Beijing University of Information Science and Technology, pointed out that problems such as joint heating, gait fluctuations, and insufficient range are still evident during long-distance running. The 30kg robot still needs to be recharged after running 21 kilometers, with battery energy density and algorithm power consumption being the main bottlenecks. Zhang Kai, founder of Akapani Robotics, believes that in complex road sections such as sharp turns and long uphill slopes, some remote control teams still need manual debugging, and it will take time for fully autonomous technology to be fully popularized. Zhao Wen, an engineer at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, also stated that issues such as delayed avoidance and occasional malfunctions during testing have pointed out optimization directions for subsequent technological iterations. Question 3: What is the significance of "horse racing" for the development of the humanoid robot industry? Night running is not only paving the way for the April 19th race, but also an important testing ground for promoting the iteration of the humanoid robot industry. ”Liang Liang said that the competition provides real scenarios for verifying the performance, reliability, and cost balance of robots, effectively promoting hardware optimization and algorithm upgrades, and also providing key data support for technology to move from the laboratory to practical applications. The competition also provides valuable engineering practice platforms for universities, which helps to exercise students' engineering abilities and provide practical talents for the industry. Robot motion control related technologies can also be further extended to 24-hour industrial operations and other scenarios. ”Liu Xiangquan believes. From technological iteration to talent cultivation, the value of the competition goes far beyond the competition itself, and its scientifically rigorous rule design is the core that runs through it. Cai Jizheng introduced that the final effective score of the competition team needs to be calculated comprehensively from three aspects: the net time after finishing the competition, the weighting coefficient of the corresponding control mode, and the accumulated penalty time during the competition. Some robots may be the first to charge into the line, but if they are operated remotely, they will be multiplied by a factor of 1.2. If there are violations such as changing batteries or replacing the entire machine during the process, they may be penalized and their final ranking may fall behind other teams. This is completely different from human marathons that only focus on the order of crossing lines, making this event more suspenseful and technologically advanced. (New Society)