Honor's humanoid robot beats human half-marathon world record

A humanoid robot developed by Shenzhen-based smartphone maker Honor won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing yesterday, finishing faster than the human world record.

Honor’s robot “Flash” crosses the finish line during a half-marathon for humanoid robots in Beijing yesterday, clocking a net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. The robot outpaced over 300 robotic rivals to claim first place in the race. Xinhua

The victorious robot, named “Flash,” completed the 21-kilometer race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — outperforming the human world record holder, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who covered the same distance in about 57 minutes at the Lisbon road race in March.

This year’s performance marks a significant improvement over the inaugural robot half-marathon in 2025, where the winning robot finished in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds.

The event kicked off at 7:30 a.m. and drew over 100 participating teams, including participants from Germany, France, and Brazil. Honor robots swept the top three positions. “Flash” maintained its lead from the start to the finish line, followed by the runner-up and the third-place finisher.

Honor’s robot “Flash” competes in the half-marathon for humanoid robots in Beijing yesterday. China News Service

During the final sprint, “Flash” collided with a barricade and fell. However, after adjustments by staff, the robot resumed and successfully crossed the finish line.

Standing 169 cm tall, “Flash” boasts a mecha-style design that balances aerodynamic performance with aesthetic appeal. Defined by its speed and explosive power, the robot was developed by an R&D team with operations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.

Autonomous navigation teams competed alongside remotely controlled teams, with results ranked on a unified leaderboard. Scores for the two categories were calculated using weighted coefficients of 1.0 and 1.2, respectively.

The race was not without hiccups — one robot fell flat at the start line, while another bumped into a barrier.

Organizers said the event aims to attract overseas teams and foster international collaboration in robotics technology. “The event will translate technical gaps identified during the race into real-world industrial solutions.”

The upgrade builds on lessons learned from the first humanoid robot marathon in 2025, which accelerated innovations in joint stability and fast battery swapping.

On April 19, 2025, Tiangong Ultra — developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center — finished the 21-kilometer race in 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, winning among 20 competing teams. (SD-Xinhua)