China to pit 300 robots against humans in Beijing marathon

China is putting humanoid robots to the test again in a road race against human runners beginning next month to show off its advancing robotics industry.

In the first event held in Beijing last year, the robots were outrun by humans in a half-marathon race. Twenty-one humanoids were pitted against 12,000 human racers, per reports. The first robot finished in two hours and 40 minutes, whereas the winner finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes.

Over 300 robots set to compete in Beijing marathon

More than 300 humanoid robots will be competing in the second edition of the half-marathon scheduled for April 19. The organizers said Monday the robots will be put on the same tracks as human runners in the 2026 Beijing E-Town half-marathon.

During the previous half-marathon, the robots had dedicated lanes separated by safety fences and median strips. They were mostly walked by engineers using remote controls.

Per the organizers, 38% of participating teams in the upcoming event will be competing under an autonomous navigation group, wherein the robots are expected to navigate the routes independently of the team. It highlights a shift from merely “human-led mode” to “full autonomy,” Global Times reported, citing Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.

The competition is aimed at showing off China’s advancing robotics industry, which was estimated at $47 billion in 2024 and projected to grow 23% annually through 2028.

China tops annual humanoid installations

China leads the pack in global humanoid robot installations. Data from Counterpoint shows 16,000 units of humanoid robots were deployed around the world in 2025, with China accounting for more than 80%.

AGIBOT was the biggest vendor, accounting for 31.9% of the installation share, followed by Unitree, UBTECH, and Leju, which are all Chinese manufacturers. Tesla made the 5th on the list, with nearly 5% share, following the ramp-up of the Optimus Gen 2 and Gen 2.5. 

In other news, Tesla is preparing to unveil the Gen 3 version of Optimus, which it says is “our first design meant for mass production.” Per the official statement, production is expected to start before the end of the year, with an eventual target volume of 1 million robots per year.