The 21 so-called humanoid – i.e. human-like – robots, some of which had running shoes, also had help. They were accompanied by operators who occasionally had to step in and help them during the race, reports the news agency Reuters.
Tiangong Ultra was the first of the robots to cross the finish line, with a time of 2.40. It was thus soundly beaten by the winner among the human runners, who achieved a time of 1.02.
Several of the robots, manufactured by Chinese technology companies, crossed the finish line. Others had problems right from the start of the race. One collapsed on the starting line and lay there for several minutes. Another crashed into a railing after only running a few meters.
