Dozens of Chinese-made humanoid robots showed off their fast-improving athleticism and autonomous navigation skills as they whizzed past human runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing on Sunday, highlighting the sector's rapid technical advances.

Over the weekend, a bright-red Chinese humanoid robot named “Lightning” finished a half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating all 12,000 human competitors.

Unlike last year, nearly half of the robot entrants navigated the tougher terrain autonomously instead of being directed by remote control during the 21-km (13-mile) race.