China's Second Robot Half-Marathon in Beijing

China is hosting its second robot half-marathon in China===Beijing, featuring over 300 humanoid robots from 70 teams competing on tougher terrain. This event serves as a high-profile demonstration of the industry's advancements, with nearly 40% of robots navigating autonomously this year, compared to none last year. The Chinese government aims to make humanoid robotics a major economic pillar, focusing on embodied intelligence. While companies like UBTech Robotics and Unitree Robotics are rapidly expanding production and deployment, experts like Tang Wenbin note that the industry is still in an elementary stage, with robots' 'IQ too low' for widespread industrial applications. Despite these challenges, Chinese firms dominate global humanoid robot installations, and significant resources are being invested in AI software development and data collection to improve robot efficiency.