On April 19, the 2026 Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon concluded with the Honor "Lightning" robot securing first place. The robot completed the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, significantly surpassing the human world record of 57 minutes and 20 seconds for a half marathon. Honor's robots also claimed the top six positions in the event. Compared to the inaugural competition, this year's rules and difficulty level were increased. The event introduced dual modes of "autonomous navigation" and "remote control," with a unified weighted ranking system. The course incorporated over 10 different terrain types, placing greater demands on path planning, dynamic balance, and endurance. Approximately forty percent of the teams opted for fully autonomous navigation, a notable increase from the previous year.

According to data released by the event organizer, over one hundred robot teams participated this year, including five international teams. Participants included companies such as the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Honor, Unitree, and Songyan Power, alongside universities and research institutions like Tsinghua University, Peking University, and the University of Science and Technology of China. Nearly forty percent of the competing robots utilized autonomous navigation. Honor became the first major smartphone manufacturer to enter robots in the competition. The company fielded 10 teams using two models of humanoid robots: six "Lightning" robots (three fully autonomous, three remote-controlled) and four "Vitality" robots (two fully autonomous, two remote-controlled). Ultimately, the six "Lightning" robots swept the top six places. The champion, runner-up, and third-place teams—Team Great Sage, Team Thunder Lightning, and Team Spark—were all Honor "Lightning" robots operating in autonomous navigation mode. The champion team, Team Great Sage, finished with a net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, breaking the human world record while experiencing zero failures or malfunctions throughout the race.

Honor stated that this participation marks a significant breakthrough in moving its humanoid robot technology from the laboratory to real-world scenarios, primarily supported by its fully self-developed technology stack. For thermal management, the robots are equipped with a self-developed liquid cooling system where cooling pipes extend into the motor internals for heat conduction. A high-power liquid pump enables a heat exchange flow rate exceeding 4 liters per minute, effectively addressing heat dissipation challenges during high-intensity motion. The power system utilizes self-developed integrated joint modules with a peak torque of 400 Newton-meters. For control, leveraging its proprietary high-dynamic motion control algorithms and multi-sensor fusion technology, the "Lightning" robot can adapt to complex track conditions, precisely control its center of gravity, and maintain stable running throughout the course.

Honor's strategic focus on robotics has been ongoing for nearly two years. The company's management has indicated that its robotics business, propelled by its AI capabilities and terminal ecosystem, is an integral part of its overall strategy. Looking ahead, Honor's robots will concentrate on the consumer market, with deep development planned for three main scenarios: shopping malls, factories, and homes. From performing traditional dances and martial arts to running marathons, and now working in factories, retail stores, elderly care stations, and malls, Chinese humanoid robots are rapidly evolving with increasingly diverse application scenarios.

China's 2026 government work report proposed cultivating future industries such as new energy, quantum technology, embodied AI, brain-computer interfaces, and 6G. The outline for the 15th Five-Year Plan also suggested making forward-looking layouts for future industries and promoting areas like embodied AI as new economic growth points. The Chinese Institute of Electronics forecasts that China's humanoid robot market size could reach approximately 870 billion yuan by 2030.

Guohai Securities pointed out that the scale of participation this year grew nearly fivefold compared to last year. Alibaba's Amap made its debut in the event with a quadruped robot, marking Alibaba's first embodied robot product. Terminal giant Honor became the "world's first major consumer electronics company to enter robots in a competition," participating with its self-developed "Lightning" and "Vitality" models. As the second edition of the world's first humanoid robot marathon, this year's competition evolved from "learning to walk" last year to "running at full speed" this year. Regarding mass production timelines, the industry widely regards 2026 as a critical year for the mass production of humanoid robots.

Xu Guangtan, Chief Mechanical Industry Analyst at China Securities, clearly stated at a post-event investment summit that "the industry chain is on the cusp of a transition from 0 to 1 realization, with 2026 expected to be a year of explosive expansion in vertical application scenarios." He highlighted three key investment directions: the Tesla supply chain, high-value and high-certainty OEM segments within the domestic robot industry chain, and the sensor industry (such as six-axis force/torque sensors and electronic skin) where breakthroughs are anticipated. Soochow Securities similarly believes the sector will gradually consolidate in 2026, with Tesla's Optimus transitioning officially from the laboratory to mass production. They recommend focusing on core companies with clear mass production prospects and new technology directions.

Related concept stocks: AAC TECH (02018): The company stated in an official post that the "Lightning" robot integrates a "high-performance, high-power, stable" main body, and AAC is the core supplier behind this robust main body. Additionally, the company provides key structural components for the core motion units in the head and legs of the "Vitality" robot. HESAI-W (02525): The laser radar solution for the Honor "Lightning" robot was provided by Hesai Technology. According to Hesai, its JT series LiDAR offers robots 360° blind-spot-free 3D perception, along with a lightweight design and high reliability. UBTECH ROBOTICS (09880): According to its official social media, UBTECH recently signed a cooperation agreement with Terra Robotics, a leading European robot integrator, making Terra Robotics the exclusive distributor and strategic partner for UBTECH in the DACH region (Germany, Switzerland, Austria). Terra Robotics has placed an initial order for several dozen units of UBTECH's full-size embodied AI humanoid robots, to be deployed in industrial settings such as the logistics centers of the leading European drugstore/consumer goods retailer ROSSMANN. HORIZONROBOT-W (09660): In late March, Daiwa issued a research report reiterating its "Buy" rating on HORIZONROBOT-W (09660) and raising the target price from HK$11.8 to HK$12.4. Based on stronger-than-expected growth in 2025 order volume and IP licensing service revenue, Daiwa increased its revenue forecasts for the company for the current and next year by 5% to 17%. The company reported strong full-year 2025 results and provided optimistic guidance for 2026 and beyond. Daiwa introduced its first forecast for 2028, anticipating explosive growth in the company's shipments of chips for highway and urban navigation-assisted driving in 2026. It also believes the company's strategy for full-vehicle intelligence chips (SoC) and cockpit-driving integration is advancing, providing cost-effective solutions for automakers, allowing the company to avoid competition in the mature and highly homogeneous standalone cockpit chip market while exploring a new "blue ocean" centered on full-vehicle intelligence and AI agents. HK ROBOTICS (00370): Recently, HK ROBOTICS formally signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Logistics Robot Research Centre, announcing deep cooperation in the field of full-size humanoid bipedal robots. Leveraging the Cloud Brain operating system, the two parties will jointly promote the pilot implementation of embodied AI technology in scenarios such as commercial services, hotel services, and home services. This strategic cooperation represents another significant market advancement for HK ROBOTICS in the application of embodied AI robots within Hong Kong. The company had previously signed a procurement agreement with Hong Kong Tonghong Guard for no less than 1,000 units, with a total contract value of RMB 300 million, which has now entered the delivery phase.