In the modern age of virtual reality headsets and artificial intelligence or AI, technology continues to advance. One of the latest futuristic and interesting happenings worldwide is the addition of robots running marathons in China. It turns out many of these robots can do a lot more than cross the finish line. Let’s look at the history of humanoid robots and the impressive machines putting one metal leg in front of the other today.
The progression of humanoid robots
We’ve seen the progression of robots over time. A robot is a machine that moves independently and performs certain actions. You can guide a robot with an external control device, or a control might be embedded within the machine.
Robots have roots as far back as the 4th century BC when Greek mathematician Archytas of Tarentum introduced a mechanical steam-propelled bird called ‘The Pigeon.’ In the 1700s, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created automata, such as ‘The Digesting Duck,’ which was a duck powered by weights that imitated a real duck by flapping its wings. Each of the wings had over 400 parts, which shows the complexity of the machine.
In 1810, Friedrich Kaufmann created the first humanoid robot in Dresden, Germany. His robot was a soldier with a trumpet that remained on display until at least April 30th, 1950. The first electronic autonomous robot that could perform complex tasks was created by William Grey Walter in Bristol, England, in 1948 and 1949. From there, many more humanoid robots have been introduced, and we’ve even seen robot dogs!
Robots running marathons
On November 3rd, two robots called Go2 and B2 became the official cheerleaders and pacesetters at the Hangzhou Marathon in Hangzhou, China. The four-legged robots ran alongside participants, and Go2 played music and expressed words of encouragement and safety tips along the way. Go2 could also shake hands and perform backflips and handstands. B2 wore bunny ears and acted as a ‘pace-setting rabbit,’ maintaining a steady pace and providing runners with a reliable way to measure their pace. Go2 and B2 can also provide real-time feedback on temperature, detect certain medical emergencies, and transport medical supplies quickly when needed.
A Humanoid Robot called Tien Kung was recently spotted cheering on the runners at the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing on Sunday, November 10th, 2024. Tien Kung joined the race for the last 100m and won a medal when he crossed the finish line. He’s the first full-sized humanoid robot that’s completely electric and he’s 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 94 pounds. It seems Tien Kung is quite the character, and he can wave, shake hands, and pose.
Concluding thoughts
While some people are completely on board with running alongside a humanoid robot, others aren’t so sure. It’s possible robots running marathons could be a lot more common in the future all around the world, showing off with a backflip, offering moral support and safety tips, bringing you medical supplies, or helping you measure your running pace.
