2026年4月20日 / 美国东部时间上午11:26 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
上周末，一款名为“闪电”的仿人机器人在北京街头创造历史，以数分钟的优势打破人类半马世界纪录。
数十台机器人周日参加了北京亦庄机器人半程马拉松赛事，与人类选手分道进行13英里（21公里）的比赛。
这款由中国智能手机企业荣耀研发的机器人仅用50多分钟就完成了半程马拉松，击败了人类57分多钟的该项目世界纪录。
“闪电”的研发团队对这一结果欣喜不已。荣耀开发工程师杜晓迪很快将此次赛事与其他行业进行了类比。
“展望未来，相关技术或许可以迁移到其他领域，”杜晓迪表示，“这类似于汽车行业最初通过赛事推动技术发展的路径。”
本次赛事在真实环境中对机器人进行了测试，涵盖平衡能力、耐力以及导航技术等多个方面。部分机器人实现自主运行，另有一些则由远程操控，所有参赛机器人都在平行赛道上行驶，以避免与人类选手发生碰撞。
赛事并非完美无缺。有几台机器人摔倒或偏离赛道，其中一台在摔倒后解体，被工作人员用担架抬走。
但与去年相比，本次赛事的进步十分显著。去年大多数参赛机器人甚至都难以完赛。
部分观众并未对赛事中的失误感到担忧。
“我非常激动，”孙志刚说道，“首先，这是机器人首次超越人类，这是我之前从未想象过的场景。”
“它们的表现相当令人惊艳，”蒋良志表示，“我没料到它们的速度已经这么快了，而且运行都非常稳定。”
赛事主办方表示，此次马拉松赛事的核心并非比拼速度。其真正目的是推动机器人技术走出实验室，探索其在制造、物流乃至应急响应等领域的潜在应用。
中国企业正在大力推进军民两用机器人技术的研发，而北京的机器人半程马拉松赛事则表明，未来正以极快的速度从科幻构想变为现实中的体育赛事。
Humanoid robot beats human half-marathon world record in Beijing
April 20, 2026 / 11:26 AM EDT / CBS News
A humanoid robot aptly named Lightning made history on the streets of Beijing over the weekend, beating the human half-marathon world record by several minutes.
Dozens of robots lined up for the Beijing E-Town Robot Half Marathon on Sunday, tackling the 13-mile (21-kilometer) race separate from human runners.
Developed by Chinese smartphone company Honor, Lightning completed the half-marathon in just over 50 minutes, besting the human world record for the distance of over 57 minutes.
A Lightning humanoid robot by Honor crosses the finish line of the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026. Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
Lightning’s creators were delighted with the result. Du Xiaodi, a development engineer at Honor, was quick to draw comparisons with other industries.
“Looking ahead, some of these technologies might be transferred to other areas,” said Du. “It’s similar to how the automotive industry initially developed through competitions.”
The event tested robots in real-world conditions, from balance and endurance to navigation. Some ran autonomously, while others were controlled remotely, all competing on a parallel course to avoid collisions with human athletes.
It wasn’t flawless. A few robots stumbled or veered off course, and one was carried away on a stretcher after breaking to pieces in a fall.
Staff carry a humanoid robot that crashed after the finish line of the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026. Maxim Shemetov / REUTERS
But the progress was striking compared to last year, when most struggled to even finish the race.
Some spectators weren’t worried by the failures.
“I’m very excited,” said Sun Zhigang. “First of all, it’s the first time robots have surpassed humans, and that’s something I never imagined.”
“Their performance is quite impressive,” Jiang Liangzhi said. “I didn’t expect the speeds to be this fast already, and they’re all very stable.”
People take pictures of the Tiangong Ultra 2026 humanoid robot participating in the Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026. Reuters/Tingshu Wang
Organizers said the marathon isn’t really about speed. It’s about pushing robotics technology beyond the lab with potential applications in manufacturing, logistics and even emergency response.
Chinese companies are pushing ahead with the development of robot technologies for both civilian and military uses, but Beijing’s robot half-marathon shows just how fast the future is moving from science fiction to sporting reality.
Team members celebrate next to winning robot Lightning during a medial ceremony after the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon in Beijing, China, April 19, 2026. Maxim Shemetov / REUTERS