This video of humanoid robots running a half marathon is amazing, hilarious, and a little creepy

If you thought bipedal robots were limited to the somewhat creepy and sweet breakdancing moves of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, think again, because the robots are now coming for your marathon medals. 

More than 20 robots took to the streets of China over the weekend to compete against real people in the first-ever human-humanoid half-marathon. The robots were from various manufacturers, and, like people, came in all different sizes. 

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Some wore running shoes for the 13-mile trek, some ran on their bare feet. Some had eerily human-looking heads, some had traditional robotic, metallic heads. They ranged from 4 feet tall to nearly 6 feet tall — but all were vaguely human-shaped.

As a safety precaution, run organizers separated the human runners from the robot runners. They ran on parallel, but identical courses. 

It wasn’t a success for everyone. A few robots did finish the race, but some either fell over immediately at the starting line and just lay there (I feel you, robot), lost limbs along the way, overheated and needed assistance, or crashed into a railing along the way.

Out of the finishers, the fastest robot was Tiangong Ultra, produced by the Beijing Innovation Center of Huan Robotics, with a time of 2 hours and 40 minutes. For comparison, the fastest human in the competition had a time of 1 hour and 2 minutes – but the average half-marathon time for a beginner is between 2 hours and 25 minutes and 3 hours and 15 minutes, depending on age. 

At the end of the competition, organizers awarded prizes for the best endurance (or the fewest pit stops for battery changes), the best gait, and the most innovative form. 

It’s clear that robots aren’t even close to catching the best human runners, but they can run a half marathon just as well as a normal person, and that’s pretty impressive.

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