"The era of VLA has not ended!" Guo Yandong, founder of Zhifengfang, sets the tone for industry disputes while launching the world's first one-stop ...
- Published
- Source
- leaderobot.com
On April 19, the 2026 Beijing Yizhuang Humanoid Robot Half Marathon took place, showcasing significant advancements in robotics. The Honor "Lightning" robot achieved a remarkable net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, breaking the human men's half marathon world record and improving upon the previous year's robot champion's time by an impressive 110 minutes. The event drew enthusiastic crowds, reflecting a growing interest in the embodied intelligence sector.
A notable shift in participation methods was observed, with nearly 40% of the competing robots operating autonomously, a departure from the reliance on remote control seen in last year's inaugural event, where technicians managed the robots manually. This transition to autonomous operation not only highlights rapid technological progress but also positions the event to potentially set a Guinness World Record for the most autonomous humanoid robots in a half marathon.
The advancements in robotics within just one year indicate a significant leap in the industry, marking a new era for robotic participation in competitive events. Following the marathon, on April 22, Qianxun Positioning announced further developments in the field, underscoring the momentum generated by this groundbreaking event.
Original report
"The era of VLA has not ended!" Guo Yandong, founder of Zhifengfang, sets the tone for industry disputes while launching the world's first one-stop ...
leaderobot.com · LeaderobotThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
Rights concerns? Contact [email protected] with the relevant URL and details. We will review the matter and take appropriate action where warranted.
More related news
- 1
-
2
FAIR plus 2027 – Shenzhen, Apr 21–23, 2027 RobotToday · 1 day ago
-
3
RobotToday Weekly October 26 – 30, 2026 RobotToday · 2 days ago
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related Suppliers
Chengdu Humanoid Robot Innovation Center Co., Ltd. 成都人形机器人创新中心有限公司
Chengdu-registered humanoid robot R&D company behind the Gongga-1 humanoid, the open-source RW-02OP wheeled-biped platform and Raydiculous-1 planning software
High Performance Humanoid Technologies Lab (H2T), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
KIT research chair in Karlsruhe led by Prof. Tamim Asfour, developer of the ARMAR humanoid robot family from ARMAR-I (2000) to the household robot ARMAR-7.
Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Center 湖北人形机器人创新中心
Wuhan public platform opened in June 2025 to train humanoid robots and collect embodied-AI data in 23 simulated scenes; led by a Hubei state tech investor.
Drone Delivery Canada
Vaughan, Ontario drone logistics developer merged with Volatus Aerospace in August 2024; the combined company trades as FLT in Toronto.
Duckietown Robotics
Educational robotics platform provider offering autonomous vehicle kits and AI curricula used by 250+ universities worldwide.
EasyMile
Toulouse, France autonomous-vehicle software company founded 2014; EZTow and EZDolly systems automate industrial tow tractors and cargo movers at airports.
McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute
Hamilton, Ontario applied manufacturing research center at McMaster University; runs a 21,000 sq ft facility with seven research labs.
Robotics Education & Competition Foundation
The REC Foundation is a US nonprofit that runs VEX-based robotics and drone competitions reaching 1.1 million students across 70 countries.
I Hub Research and Robotics Private Limited (iHub Robotics)
Kochi startup (relaunched 2022) making the TARA Gen1 semi-humanoid service robot and Daksha industrial humanoid, exported to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Yuanqi Innovation (Xiamen) Robot Co., Ltd. 元启创新(厦门)机器人有限公司
Xiamen-based AgiBot VAP partner founded 2025; resells and customises AgiBot humanoids, Genie wheeled robots and D1 quadrupeds with turnkey service.
OM Robot Technology Co. Ltd. 东莞全向机械科技有限公司
Chinese manufacturer of mecanum wheels, omnidirectional wheel bases, and mobile robotic platforms for AGV applications.
Techman Robot Inc. (TM Robot) 達明機器人股份有限公司
Techman Robot is a Taiwanese cobot maker producing AI-powered collaborative robots with integrated built-in vision for manufacturing automation.
Robotics needs a service framework.
RSF defines a common language for robot service capability, lifecycle operations, certification pathways, and service-provider networks.
Join the RobotToday community on LinkedIn
Daily robotics news, in-depth analysis, conference highlights, and discussions with professionals worldwide.