Humanoid robots shattered longstanding human athletic records while also producing plenty of awkward spills and comical mishaps at the World Robot Games in Beijing over the weekend, as China put its rapidly advancing robotics technology on full display.
Scores of humanoid machines, accompanied by the engineers and operators controlling them, gathered Sunday at Beijing’s Olympic speed skating arena for competitions ranging from track events and soccer to boxing and martial arts.
One of the weekend’s most striking performances came during Saturday’s opening ceremony, when a Chinese humanoid robot recorded a 100-meter time faster than the world record held by Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt. The achievement quickly became a major story across Chinese state media.
Tiangong Ultra, a white humanoid robot without a head, completed the 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Bolt’s world record, established in 2009, stands at 9.58 seconds.
The machines delivered another record-breaking performance on Sunday when the same model demolished the human world record in the 400 meters by nearly five seconds.
Tiangong Ultra, which was created by a Beijing research center backed by the local government, crossed the finish line in 38.16 seconds. Officials subsequently adjusted the recorded time slightly, to 38.15 seconds.
The racing was not always graceful. During one 400-meter heat, a robot covered in a white shell swung its arms wildly from side to side as it raced around the track, pitching so far forward that spectators openly wondered whether it was about to crash.
As it approached the finish line, the machine began wobbling noticeably but somehow managed to complete the race without toppling over.
In fact, some of the biggest reactions from the crowd came when things went wrong. Several robotic competitors were unable to get moving when their races began.
Other robots proceeded around the track at little more than a fast walking pace, while some collapsed almost immediately after the starting signal.
The soccer competition provided its own entertainment, with children and parents laughing as one toddler-sized humanoid sent the ball sailing completely off the field and over the knee-high barriers surrounding the pitch.
Even the slow-moving and somewhat awkward soccer action drew an enthusiastic response, with spectators roaring whenever the waddling robots managed to put the ball into the lightly defended goal.
Boxing proved equally unpredictable. The audience burst into laughter when one humanoid lost its balance inside the ring, staggered sideways and folded itself over the ropes. It remained there motionless until human handlers came over and carried it away.
For 72-year-old Beijing resident Hou Yali, the extraordinary speed displayed by some of the robots raised another question: how would they fare if they competed directly against people?
“We’ll be able to see more clearly whether machines can surpass humans,” said Hou, who is retired and lives in Beijing.
Still, she cautioned that outrunning humans is very different from demonstrating the intelligence and practical abilities that could make robots genuinely useful in everyday life.
“Right now, this is just running, just a competition of speed. It’s not a test of intelligence, or hiring someone to do household tasks or act as live-in help,” she said.
Hou currently pays human aides to come to her home each week to prepare meals and handle cleaning, but she said she would be interested in having robots eventually take over those responsibilities.
“With the development of our country’s economy, people have more money in their pockets, and they may decide to use robots,” she said.
{Matzav.com}
