A year ago, they were lagging behind their human competitors. On Sunday, however, an android ran a half-marathon quicker than even the fastest human, outpacing the entire field.
The 21-kilometer marathon in Beijing was completed by Lightning, a running robot created by the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honour, in an incredible 50 minutes and 26 seconds, surpassing the human world record by more than six minutes.
According to World Athletics, Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo holds the human record at 57 minutes and 20 seconds.The 169-cm-tall, bright-red humanoid sprinted passed the finish line, swinging its short forearms for balance and showing no signs of needing to slow down.

China has made significant progress in its technological competition with the United States, which has so far produced more advanced humanoid models.
Since the government identified robotics as one of ten important industries in a plan to modernise Chinese industries and dispel the country's reputation as the world's cheap-labor factory in 2015, China's robot industry has grown rapidly.
Officials recognised humanoid robotics as a "new frontier in technological competition" in a 2023 policy statement, establishing a goal of mass production and safe supply chains for essential components by 2025. China's economic strategy for the following five years reflected this emphasis.
Over the past year, robot sporting events have increased dramatically throughout China as a result of these aspirations.The world's first Humanoid Robot Games, which tested machines in martial arts, boxing, soccer and other sports, took place in Beijing last year.
Additionally, a few months ago, robots dressed in kung-fu costumes pleased and astounded audiences with their martial arts dance at China's annual broadcast New Year's spectacle.
This year's humanoid half-marathon attracted over 100 teams, over five times as many as the competition's inaugural year. However, the majority of the teams' performances were poor.In the human category, Zhao Haijie won the men's race on Sunday, while Wang Qiaoxia won the women's race, both of which took more than an hour.
Additionally, Lightning outran the previous champion robot by nearly two hours.
The half-marathon organiser posted via social media that its autonomous navigation and burst power "proved key to winning the race."