Robots recently completed the Beijing half-marathon quicker than the current world record holder.

      Andy Wong / AP

      

      

       A humanoid robot recently completed a half-marathon faster than the current world record holder. Although it may not seem significant at first glance, considering that last year's fastest robot at Beijing’s humanoid robot half-marathon finished in two hours and 40 minutes, this marks a remarkable milestone.

      According to the Associated Press, the victorious robot in this year's Beijing half-marathon finished in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, easily surpassing the human world record of 57 minutes recently achieved by Jacob Kiplimo.

      This represents a substantial improvement in just one year, fueling animated discussions.

      Who created the winning robot?

      The robot that won was developed by Honor, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer recognized for its innovative and unconventional phone designs. Yes, the same company known for smartphones is now creating robots that can outperform elite human athletes.

      However, there’s a twist. The champion was not the fastest on the racetrack. Another robot completed the course in 48 minutes and 19 seconds, but it was operated through remote control. The robot that secured first place ran the race autonomously, and the final rankings employed a weighted scoring system that took this into consideration.

      Andy Wong / AP

      Approximately 40% of the robots in the competition operated autonomously, while the remaining 60% were controlled remotely. Not everything went according to plan, as one robot stumbled at the starting line, and another crashed into a barrier.

      Is comparing robots to humans fair?

      To be honest, probably not. Yet, this comparison has been a long-standing practice. It made headlines when IBM's Deep Blue became the first computer to defeat world chess champion Garry Kasparov, and when DeepMind's AlphaGo began winning against top human Go players.

      If folklore is to be believed, the battle between machines and humans dates back to the 1870s with the legend of John Henry, who competed against a steam-powered drilling machine to demonstrate human superiority. He won the contest, but at the cost of his life.

      Regardless of your perspective, it is undeniable how remarkable it is to observe the progress robots have made over just a decade, evoking a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

      

      

      

       Rachit is an experienced tech journalist with over seven years of experience reporting on consumer technology.

      

      

      

      

      

      

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