Robots participated in the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon held in China.
Twenty-one robotic athletes from across the country participated in the 21-km (13-mile) race in Beijing on April 19.
Organisers said that the event marks a milestone in robot development, attracting residents to witness the breakthrough in futuristic technology.
Footage showed robots running with their crews as the race kicked off.
In another clip, the black Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot, wearing an orange dry-fit shirt, was seen sprinting towards the finish line, breaking through the white tape.
The route featured steep slopes and rails, designed to test the robots' ability to handle rough terrain. Many stumbled or ran out of power along the way.
The challenging terrain was designed to test the robots' ability to respond to accidents, with many of the automatons tripping multiple times and some accidentally running out of power during the route.
Jiang Guangzhi, director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, said: 'Some robots may not run elegantly or fall over and that's normal. We're still testing various technical approaches.'
The winning robot was developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre completing the event in 2 hours and 40 minutes.
It had undergone three months of training, cutting its previous finish time from eight hours.
During its first attempt on January 22, Tiangong Ultra had to be tethered to a crane truck for safety, frequently collapsing despite close monitoring by researchers.
The robot reportedly received several upgrades and gradually developed a more stable posture with longer strides. Researchers faced challenges including heat dissipation, component durability, system reliability, and algorithm optimisation to improve performance.
Spectator Wang Lijuan said: 'We are so excited. We are residents living nearby, and we got up at half past six to reach the site. We witnessed every single robot participating in the event, and we are very impressed by the progress China has made in this regard.'
China has been increasingly integrating robots into public life, deploying humanoid robots for community services, autonomous vehicles for public security, and service robots in hospitality and retail sectors.
On March 26, the G1 robot, created by Unitree and dressed in a stylish violet flowy top, made its debut at the Xintiandi show venue during Shanghai Fashion Week.
On March 4, Yushu Wang Xingxing, Founder and CEO of Unitree, sparred with the humanoid robot to demonstrate its combat skills in Zhejiang.
Human and animal-like robots are being developed in several countries, with China and the United States leading the 'tech arms race.'
Last month, a military-style robot dog was even spotted protecting President-Elect Donald Trump in Florida.
Meanwhile, eccentric billionaire Elon Musk—who played a key role in Trump's recent U.S. election victory—recently unveiled Optimus, describing it as a multi-functional assistant capable of handling household chores, playing with children, and performing repetitive tasks.
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