英语新闻丨机器人半程马拉松考验创新

The world's first humanoid robot half-marathon, with 20 robots running alongside thousands of human participants, was held in Beijing on Saturday, but it was just the starting gun for China's burgeoning robotics industry, according to executives and experts.

周六，全球首届人形机器人半程马拉松在北京举行。20个机器人与数千名人类参赛者同场竞技。据业内高管和专家称，这仅仅是中国蓬勃发展的机器人产业的发令枪。

The marathon, despite some imperfect performances like an occasional stumble, proved that China's humanoid robots are moving from flashy laboratory demos to real-world scenarios. In the shadow of the United States' recent tariff hikes, China's advances in artificial intelligence and robotics may stand out as a potent counterstrike, they added.

尽管比赛表现存在一些瑕疵，例如偶尔摔倒，但这场马拉松证明了中国的人形机器人正在从实验室的炫技走向现实。他们补充道，在美国近期加征关税的阴影下，中国在人工智能和机器人技术领域的进步或许能成为一记强有力的反击。

In the 21-kilometer half-marathon, which tested the physical limits of even some human runners, six of the 20 robots managed to finish the race. Tiangong Ultra, standing 1.8 meters tall and weighing 55 kilograms, won the race with a time of 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds.

这场21公里的半程马拉松甚至挑战了一些人类参赛者的身体极限。20个机器人中有6个完成了比赛。身高1.8米、体重55公斤的“天工Ultra”以2小时40分42秒的成绩夺冠。

Xiong Youjun, CEO of the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, the developer of Tiangong Ultra, said, "The goal wasn't just to cross the finish line, but to test key technologies through the rigors of a long-distance run, then improve technological breakthroughs, and finally, lay the groundwork for robots to enter factories and daily life services."

“天工Ultra”的研发方、北京人形机器人创新中心首席执行官熊友军表示：“我们的目标不仅仅是冲过终点线，而是通过长距离的严酷考验，检验关键技术，进而改进技术突破，最终为机器人进入工厂和日常生活服务领域奠定基础。”

Xiong said the robots needed compact, heat-resistant joints, precise motion control and strong core algorithms to finish the race. The half-marathon also tested their stability, reliability, battery life and ability to handle complex terrain like slopes and turns.

熊友军表示，要完成比赛，机器人需要紧凑、耐热的关节、精准的运动控制和强大的核心算法。这场半程马拉松也考验了它们的稳定性、可靠性、续航能力以及应对坡道、弯道等复杂地形的能力。

Liang Liang, deputy director of the management committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, one of the organizers of the race, said: "The robot half-marathon, the world's first such race, marked a new starting gun for the whole industry. It also sparked deeper public discussion around human-machine coexistence, raised awareness and will help accelerate the development of the robotics industry."

北京经开区管理委员会副主任梁靓是赛事主办方之一，他表示：“作为全球首个机器人半程马拉松赛事，它标志着整个行业新的起跑线。它还引发了公众对人机共存的更深入讨论，提高了公众的认知，将有助于加速机器人产业的发展。”

The event came as China accelerates its push to develop humanoid robots, having labeled them as a "strategic frontier" in 2023, when it also set a target of mass production and domestic supply chain security by 2027.

此次活动正值中国加快推进人形机器人研发之际，中国已于2023年将人形机器人列为“战略前沿”，并设定了到2027年实现量产和国内供应链安全的目标。

While US companies such as Boston Dynamics and Tesla have dominated headlines with viral demos and futuristic visions, Chinese brands and companies are rapidly catching up—not just in manufacturing but also in mass-producing such robots and making them inexpensive for ordinary people.

尽管波士顿动力和特斯拉等美国公司凭借病毒式传播的视频和未来愿景频频登上头条，但中国品牌和企业正在迅速追赶——不仅在制造环节追赶，更在量产和大众可负担层面发力。

For instance, Unitree Robotics, another leading robotics company, priced its G1 humanoid robots at 99,000 yuan ($13,560). Such a price sets them apart from Tesla's Optimus, which is expected to cost between $20,000 and $30,000. The company said it is currently preparing for a globally livestreamed humanoid robot boxing match.

例如，另一家领先的机器人公司“宇树科技”将其G1人形机器人定价为9.9万元人民币（约合13,560美元）。这样的价格使其与特斯拉的“擎天柱”(Optimus)相差甚远，后者预计售价在2万至3万美元之间。该公司表示，目前正在筹备一场全球直播的人形机器人拳击比赛。

According to a recent report by Leaderobot and nine other institutions, China is on track to produce more than 10,000 humanoid robots this year, accounting for more than half of global output and generating 8.24 billion yuan in sales revenue.

根据Leaderobot联合其他九家机构最近发布的报告，中国今年有望生产超过1万台人形机器人，占全球产量的一半以上，销售收入达82.4亿元人民币。

With costs falling and ecosystems maturing, the humanoid robot industry is poised to leap from pilot projects to large-scale commercialization. This could give the country a new economic growth engine, the report said.

随着成本下降和生态系统日趋成熟，人形机器人产业有望从试点项目迈向大规模商业化。报告称，这可能会给中国带来新的经济增长引擎。

Signs of commercial traction were emerging in March, when Chinese robotics company UBTech Robotics—a provider of robots to automaker Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co—said that Dongfeng would roll out 20 industrial humanoid robots, with full deployment expected during the first half of this year.

商业化信号已在三月初现端倪。当时，中国机器人公司优必选（UBTech Robotics，一家为汽车制造商东风柳州汽车有限公司提供机器人的公司）宣布，东风将推出20台工业人形机器人，预计将于今年上半年全面部署。

Xie Shaofeng, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said at a news conference last week that mainstream humanoid robots in China "are increasingly being deployed in manufacturing scenarios—assisting on auto production lines and supporting smart sorting and logistics".

工业和信息化部总工程师谢少锋在上周的新闻发布会上表示，中国主流的人形机器人“正越来越多地应用于制造场景——辅助汽车生产线，并支持智能分拣和物流”。

burgeoning

/ˈbɜːdʒənɪŋ/

adj.迅速发展的；激增的

potent counterstrike

/ˈpəʊtənt ˈkaʊntəstraɪk/

有力的反击

commercial traction

/kəˈmɜːʃl ˈtrækʃn/

商业吸引力；市场牵引力

strategic frontier

/strəˈtiːdʒɪk frʌnˈtɪə(r)/

战略前沿