Humanoid robots run a half-marathon, the winner passed the line in 2 h 40-Liberation
Robots to be true? Dozens of humanoid robots ran this Saturday, April 19 in Beijing the first half-marathon in the world to their dedicated, a symbol this Saturday, April 19 in Beijing. Chinese advances in the field of new technologies. Organized in the « E-Town », an area of technological development in the capital, the event, in which sportsmen in the flesh also participated, was presented as an opportunity to push the bipedal machines in their entrenchments.
But that the worried half-marathonists reassure themselves, for the moment, their mechanical opponents do not yet arrive at the ankle: the first robot to cross the finish line, « Tiangong Ultra », a large Dadais of 1m80 for 52 kilos, took 2 hours 40 minutes and 42 seconds. In comparison, the winner in humans completed the case in 1 hour 2 minutes and 36 seconds, according to an official media.
Along the 21 kilometers of the route, some robots have evolved with confidence, when others were hesitant: a small android, who fell on the ground, finally got up alone after a few minutes. Another, looking like transforming, deviated from its trajectory and struck a barrier. Scenes that human participants, which evolved on a separate track, immortalized with enthusiasm with their smartphones.
Tang Jian, the director of technology at the Beijing Center for Innovation on Humanoid robots, an institution that designed the winner, « Tiangong Ultra », told the press to be « Very satisfied ». « We had three objectives: to win first place, to carry out the entire half-marathon with a single robot (…) and to complete the race in less than three hours », he said. « We had collected data from professional runners and had trained the robot to adapt its stride, its cadence, its amplitude of steps and its posture to get closer to that of a sportsman. »
The Beijing Center for Innovation on Humanoid robots was created by the central government and the authorities of the capital. Two private technological firms participate (Xiaomi Robotics and Ubtech Robotics) as well as two public companies, according to Tianyancha, Chinese business database.
About twenty teams from all over China participated in the race, with Androids whose weight went up to 88 kilos. Some robots ran independently, while others were controlled remotely. “Running on a track may seem a small step for a human. But for a humanoid robot, it is really a huge leap ”, AFP Liang Liang Liang Liang, deputy director of the E-Town management committee said Thursday. For him, this marathon was « An additional step towards a industrialization of humanoid robots».
Engineers have explained to AFP that the objective was to test the performance and reliability of androids. Arriving at the end of the course was priority, according to them. “The sector has few opportunities to operate its machines like this, at full speed, over such a distance and such a duration. It is a demanding test for batteries, motors, structure and even algorithms ”, According to Cui Wenhao, 28 -year -old engineer for the Chinese company Noetix Robotics.
