China’s Humanoid Marathon Signals a New Kind of AI Race

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/chinas-humanoid-marathon-signals-a-new-kind-of-ai-race/
Beijing’s robot half-marathon wasn’t just spectacle – it reveals China’s intent to dominate the emerging humanoid robotics sector and lead on a global level.

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That KungFu robot would be good working with the police. They could send the robot in to deal with and restrain a mentally ill person rather than delivering treatment with a police firearm.

intercst

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That assumes the robot can respond to a potential attack from the mentally-ill person. It takes 2 to tango…and two to do martial arts. It’s one thing to do kata – karate dances, essentially – and quite another to do actual combat.
Wendy

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I find it interesting that the marathon-running robot is black since the greatest marathoners in the world are east Africans.
Wendy

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But are they any match for this guy who took on FOUR French gendarmes in full riot gear–bare handed?

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The robot will likely be able to do things very quickly that a human can’t so. For example, maybe the crime fighting robot can shoot out a net and wrap it around the offender in 3 seconds. Or maybe the robot can electrify its metallic surface (a la taser) and as soon as the offender comes into contact with it, he spasms repeatedly. Or any number of other ideas.

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