Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course.
The robots from Chinese manufacturers such as DroidVP and Noetix Robotics came in all shapes and sizes, some shorter than 120cm (3.9ft), others as tall as 1.8m (5.9ft). One company boasted that its robot looked almost human, with feminine features and the ability to wink and smile.
