China-made humanoid robot walks 3 days, completes record 100-km trek

A Chinese robot has stepped into the Guinness World Records after completing a three-day, 100-kilometre trek, the longest reported distance ever walked by a humanoid machine.

The 169-centimetre (five foot six inch) AgiBot A2 set off from the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou on the evening of November 10, traversing highways and city streets before arriving at Shanghai’s historic waterfront Bund area on November 13, according to Guinness World Records.

Shanghai-based robot maker AgiBot said its two-legged ambler “navigated varied surfaces… all while adhering to traffic regulations” during its continuous 106.286-kilometre (66-mile) journey, which was certified as the first feat of its kind on Thursday.

Video clips published by AgiBot showed the silver-and-black A2 trudging along a road past cyclists and scooters, before picking up its pace and marching down the Bund in front of the Shanghai skyline.

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The world’s tech firms are pouring massive sums into physical AI, with Morgan Stanley predicting that the world could have more than a billion humanoid robots by 2050.

The Chinese government has encouraged domestic firms to develop humanoids, in the hopes of leading the global robotics industry.

Beijing hosted the world’s first-ever humanoid robot games in August, where more than 500 “athletes” vied in disciplines ranging from basketball to competitive cleaning.

AgiBot says the A2 is designed for customer service roles, and is equipped with a chat function and lip-reading capabilities.