Watch: Robot outruns humans to smash world record at Beijing half marathon

A humanoid robot competing against humans in blood and flush broke the world record in China at a Beijing half marathon on Sunday.

Humans and robots ran in separate lanes to avoid collusions even as spectators thronged the roads in Yizhuang in the Beijing's south to watch the machines and their human rivals race.

Some of the robots were highly agile and moved like Usain Bolt, while others had basic capabilities. The winning humanoid was equipped with an autonomous navigation system and was running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor. It completed the 21-kilometer stretch in 50 minutes and 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25 kilometres per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

It was way faster than any human who participated in the race. The current human world record for the half-marathon is 57:20 held by Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo.

Last year, robots fell repeatedly and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.

The number of humanoid entries jumped from around 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector's growing popularity.