(Yicai) April 20 -- More than 100 humanoid robot teams and 12,000 human runners took part in the world's second half-marathon for androids in Beijing, with multiple robots finishing the 21-kilometer race in less than one hour.

The Robotics D1, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, won the humanoid robot race in just 50 minutes and 26 seconds in Beijing yesterday. In comparison, X-Humanoid's Tiangong Ultra needed about 2 hours and 40 minutes to grab the title last year.

The Thunder Lightning team came second with a time of 50 minutes and 56 seconds, while the Catching Fire team took third with 53 minutes and one second. The top three finishers all used autonomous navigation.

This year's race was nearly five times bigger than a year earlier, attracting contestants from multiple leading Chinese robot makers, top universities from 11 provinces, and five international teams from Germany, France, and other countries.

The second half-marathon for androids introduced a dual-mode system of "autonomous navigation" and "remote control," with about 40 percent of the teams choosing the former, a significant increase from last year. The track also featured more than 10 types of terrains, increasing demand for path planning, dynamic balance, and endurance.

Pic. 1: A large screen shows the robot runners followed by their teams in minibusses live from the track.

Pic. 2: The Robotics D1 and its Monkey King team show off their gold medal to the crowd.

Pic. 3: A robot racer in motion, wearing running shoes and a cap backward.

Pic. 4: A foreign runner takes a photo with a robot dog at the event.

Editor: Martin Kadiev