The disintegration of a runner robot in a race in Beijing raises doubts about the readiness of the “robot marathon”

A trial race for running robots in Beijing witnessed a remarkable accident, after a robot tripped while running on a plastic bump, which led to its parts being scattered on the race track. Only the robot’s legs remained on the ground, moving in a limited way, in a scene that surprised the audience.
Five paramedics rushed to collect the scattered pieces, placing them on a stretcher and transporting them in a manner similar to treating injured runners, in a funny clip shared by followers.
The robot is about 178 centimeters long and weighs 55 kilograms, and its manufacturers describe it as “one of the robots that is physically closest to humans.” However, the incident, which occurred before the start of the half marathon scheduled for Sunday, raised questions about the ability of these robots to compete with humans in long-distance races.
This year’s edition of the Robotics Marathon is scheduled to witness the participation of about 300 teams, equivalent to five times the number of participants last year, when only six robots were able to reach the finish line, including four international teams.
The race is divided into two categories: the first is dedicated to autonomous robots, which constitute about 40% of the total participants, and the second is for remote-controlled robots.
Maintenance is one of the most prominent challenges in this type of racing. The teams must improve the balance of the robots and avoid them falling, as happened in the recent incident. Despite this, the event is expected to attract widespread attention in the Yizhuang Technical District, as its streets will witness a heavy presence of those interested in technology.
The winning team will receive a financial prize of $147,000.