The Beijing E-Town Half-marathon and Humanoid Robot Half-marathon took place in Beijing on the morning of April 19. For the very first time, humanoid robots stepped onto a long-distance track to compete alongside human runners. The bipedal robot “Kuafu” from Leju Robotics, a leading humanoid robot manufacturer in Suzhou’s Wujiang District, attracted wide attention.
Robotic participants raced against each other on a dedicated track. Each team could have three participants on the track (including accompanying engineers). Several supply stations were set up along the half-marathon route, where teams could replace batteries, robots and other participants.
“Kuafu” is a humanoid robot which is capable of walking, jumping, and performing tasks. It is about 1.66 meters tall and weighs about 55 kilograms. It can run at a maximum speed of 7.5 kilometers per hour, with an average speed of 7 kilometers per hour.
During the race, “Kuafu” wore a pair of professional running shoes of size 40 for shock absorption, which made it more human-like.
