More than 70 robot teams are gearing up for China's 100-humanoid robot half-marathon on April 19; this second year, nearly half of them will use autonomous navigation.

China is preparing for its second major public test of humanoid robotics: a 100-robot half-marathon on April 19. The event has seen explosive growth, with over 70 teams registered, a more than threefold increase from the 21 robots that started the inaugural race last year. This surge highlights the rapid acceleration in development and investment within China's humanoid robotics sector, as companies and research institutions rush to demonstrate their technological prowess on a challenging, public stage.

The most significant technical shift this year is the move toward autonomy. Nearly half of the competing robots are slated to use autonomous navigation systems, meaning they must perceive the course, avoid obstacles, and maintain their path without direct remote control from a human operator. This is a substantial leap from last year's event, where many robots likely relied on more guided or pre-programmed movements. The 13.1-mile (21 km) half-marathon distance presents a brutal test of mechanical endurance, battery life, and software stability.

Success is far from guaranteed, underscoring the immense difficulty of the challenge. At last year's race, only six of the 21 starting robots managed to complete the course, illustrating the high failure rate when pushing hardware and software to their limits. The event functions as a high-stakes, real-world benchmark, forcing engineers to solve critical problems in locomotion, energy management, and environmental interaction that are essential for robots to move out of controlled labs and into practical applications.