Chinese robots apparently have been training.
After performing well behind their human rivals only a year ago, an android smoked the entire field on Sunday in a Beijing half marathon and ran faster than any human in history.
Lightning, a robot developed by Honor, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, finished the 21-kilometer run in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating the human world record by more than six minutes.
Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo this year set the human record at 57 minutes and 20 seconds.
Using swinging forearms for balance, the bright-red humanoid Lightning, which stands five and a half feet tall, looked like it could run another 13 miles as it showed no signs of slowing down when it blazed across the finish line.
The robots are slated for more than just fun and games.
According to CNN:
The remarkable feat represents a big stride for China in its technological rivalry with the US, which has thus far boasted more sophisticated humanoid models.
China’s robot industry has accelerated since 2015, when the government listed robotics as one of 10 key sectors in a blueprint for upgrading Chinese industries and shedding its reputation as the world’s cheap-labor factory.
Chinese officials have identified humanoid robotics as a “new frontier” and slated them for mass production in the country’s economic plan for the next five years, the news network reported.
Those ambitions have led to the proliferation of robot sporting events over the past year, including the world’s first “Humanoid Robot Games.” Machines were put through their paces in soccer, boxing, martial arts, and other sports.
As for the human element on Sunday, Zhao Haijie and Wang Qiaoxia won the men’s and women’s race, respectively.
Lightning also outran the previous champion robot, scorching that machine’s time by almost two hours.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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