On Monday dozens of robots climbed one of China's most famous peaks, Mount Tai, state television reported. The robots carried eggs and watermelons, and the organizers called the race a test of the machines' endurance in real conditions. Mount Tai is the highest peak in eastern Shandong province and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For centuries it has been a pilgrimage site for Chinese emperors and an important figure in mythology.
The 3.9 km course with a climb of more than 600 meters proved a serious challenge. About 90 teams took part in the competition. The task was twofold: either to complete the route as quickly as possible, or to deliver fragile products - fresh eggs and watermelons - to the summit. CCTV footage showed that not all the robots coped: one humanoid robot in a bandana fell on the paved road and engineers had to repair it, while another rolled down the stairs and stopped by a trash can.
In the quadruped robot category the winner was a machine from Beijing Lingyi Technology (a subsidiary of the giant Unitree). It covered the distance in 43 minutes 41 seconds. For comparison: most tourists, according to CCTV, need at least two hours for this route. Among humanoid robots the best result was shown by the Zhishen Lingyue team from Beijing - 27 minutes 26 seconds, but on a shorter course.
The organizers called Mount Tai's rocky terrain "a natural testing ground for extreme trials" that could help train robots for real-world applications. The competition was organized by the state-run China Media Group, and winners in several categories received cash prizes, including for the best load-carrying quadruped machine. This was not a laboratory test but a field race: the results depend on the specific conditions of the mountainous terrain and do not mean that such robots are already ready for mass use.