The announcement was made at a press conference by the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office on March 4.

Li Quan, deputy head of the area’s administrative committee, revealed that both humanoid robots and people will run the same course on April 13. However, the robots representing various companies, will be placed in a separate lane, cordoned off by barriers or green belts, Xinhua reported.

The race organizers have set a 3.30-hour time limit for robots to complete the 21 km distance. Teams are allowed to change the robot’s battery or swap robots during the race, following a relay format. However, each swap will add a 10-minute penalty to the robot’s overall time.

Robot eligibility for the race requires that the machines be humanoid in design and capable of walking or running on two legs, not using wheels. Robots can be manually controlled, semi-automatic or fully automatic. Teams must ensure the robots do not damage the track, other robots or people, and that they comply with the course and technical rules.

Prizes for the top three finishers will be 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000 yuan (US$414-690), with additional awards for best endurance, fastest runner, and most popular.

According to the Beijing Economic and Technical Development Area (E-Town), the competition is open to companies, research institutes, robotics clubs and universities from around the world. The registration deadline is March 11. The only requirement is that the robots must resemble humans and be able to perform movements such as walking or running on two legs.

E-Town, a state-level industrial park in Daxing District, supports high-tech industries such as aviation and semiconductors.

This event follows previous robotic participation in marathons, such as in the 2024 Hangzhou Marathon, where four-legged robots acted as pacers and cheerleaders and robot Tiangong appeared at the Yizhuang Half Marathon in Beijing. However, the Daxing event will mark the first time that robots will compete throughout the entire race.

China has been rapidly advancing its efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, aiming to lead in the global technology race against the U.S. while addressing the challenges of an aging population and declining birth rate.

In the past year, E-Town robots have been deployed in the BYD electric vehicle factory, and the government has hosted several conferences and competitions to promote robotic technologies.

As China prepares for a shrinking workforce with its population set to decline for the third consecutive year by 2024, the country has already installed 51% of the world’s robots, with a total of 276,288 robots in use by 2023, according to the International Federation of Robotics.