Honor is getting into the marathon business, but not in the way most phone makers would. Instead of sponsoring runners or building fitness features, the company itself is sending robots to the starting line.
According to Honor’s Global Chief Marketing Officer, two humanoid robots named “Lightning” and “Energetic Boy” will take part in the upcoming Beijing Yizhuang Marathon on April 19.
The “Lightning” is finished in red with glowing blue eye-like lights and a visible Honor logo. Meanwhile, “Energetic Boy” comes in silver with a blue lighting strip on the face. It looks more like a traditional humanoid robot, while the “Lighting” is something that we expect to see in movies.
According to Honor, “Lightning” combines its latest work in intelligent manufacturing with embodied AI. That includes motion-control algorithms designed for high-speed movement, along with real-time perception and decision-making systems that enable the robot to react to its surroundings without constant human input.
The marathon will stress-test these capabilities.
The two Honor robots will run on a 21km track
Organized by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government and China Media Group, the 21.0975-kilometer race runs from Tongming Lake to Nanhaizi Park, mixing city roads, racing circuits, and park terrain. It’s not a controlled lab environment, which is exactly the point.
Earlier this month, more than 70 teams — including four from outside China — took part in a full-scale overnight test organized by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. Below is a clip of Honor’s Lighting Robot during the practice.
The rehearsal covered everything from navigation to emergency response, which gave makers an idea of how complex it is to get humanoid robots to operate reliably over long distances.
The competition format also nudges teams toward autonomy. Robots can either operate autonomously or rely on remote control, but the rules make the latter less attractive by imposing time penalties and restrictions on human intervention.
Teams that manage to complete the race fully autonomously may even qualify for a Guinness World Records entry.
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