Beijing has hosted a half-marathon with a twist, with human runners competing alongside humanoid robots. Thousands lined up at the start, but humans and robots ran in separate lanes to avoid collisions. More than 100 robots took part, with teams hailing from Germany, France and Brazil.

The winner, a robot called Lightning, stunned spectators by finishing the 21‑kilometer race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. China is pushing to become a global leader in the robotics industry and has regularly put its progress on display for global competitors.

DW spoke with Ravinder Dahiya, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University College of Engineering in Boston.