On 19 April 2026, the second annual robot race took place in Beijing at a distance of 21 kilometers, taking place in parallel with human competitions. Honor’s android surged in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, which is almost six minutes faster than the official male world record in half-marathon. A year earlier, the fastest bot finished only after 2 hours and 40 minutes, and most machines did not reach the finish line.

Progress in autonomy has been impressive: whereas remote control prevailed in the past, 40% of robots now move entirely on their own. The route included smooth sections, elevations, narrow corridors and about two dozen turns, mimicking the difficult conditions of the real urban environment. The winner, although controlled remotely, fell a few meters to the finish line, and the team had to urgently lift him.

In total, more than 300 cars from hundreds of teams took part in the race. All three prize-winning places were won by robots from the Shenzhen company Honor, which focused on robotics after its separation from Huawei. Bernstein Research analysts note that competition among Chinese developers is intensifying, owing to a well-developed supply chain, lower cost components, and rapid improvements in balancing, walking, and energy efficiency.