Energy rules require certified compliant power batteries, and pre-event compliance inspections will ensure fair competition at the hardware level.

Participation has surged, with about 20 institutions joining the race—roughly ten times more than the previous year—reflecting growing collaboration between academia and industry.

Since the inaugural race last year, the number of teams has expanded by nearly fivefold, underscoring rapid growth in robotics collaboration.

More than 300 humanoid robots will participate in the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon on April 19 in Beijing.

The event, officially titled the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, will be held in Yizhuang and feature both autonomous-navigation and remote-control formats.

The competition will showcase over 300 humanoid robots competing in autonomous navigation and remote-controlled categories.

Organizers frame the event as a high-profile testing ground for China’s humanoid robotics sector, aiming to move research into commercially viable applications and demonstrate progress in autonomous navigation, environmental sensing, real-time decision systems, and standardization of hardware.

Robots must exceed 75 centimeters in height to complete the 21.0975-kilometer marathon distance, and will wear BeiDou-powered badges for centimeter-level positioning and real-time location reporting.

Approximately 38 percent of participating teams will deploy autonomous-navigation robots, highlighting real-world mobility and control advances.

For the first time, an autonomous-navigation group will compete, while remote-controlled teams will have times multiplied by a 1.2 coefficient to balance the field.

Yizhuang has evolved into a robotics and smart manufacturing hub, hosting more than 300 related enterprises and a robotics industry chain valued at over 10 billion yuan, roughly half of Beijing’s robotics output.

The event draws participants from 76 institutions across 13 provincial regions, including over 80 corporate teams, more than 20 university or training-camp teams, 26 robot brands, and more than 300 humanoid robots.