# Robot wins Peking Half-marathon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** ai\ **Created:** [April 19, 2026, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392 "2026-04-19T12:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/61 "2026-04-20T17:37:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think we’re going to take the technology that allows a robot to walk or run and develop many real world applications for it. In the real world if we need a machine to move around, we put it on wheels. I robot on wheels would have a tough time in my house. If I’m in the home office and I want it to get me a beer from the beer fridge, a human for with feet and hands would be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/62 "2026-04-20T17:57:41Z")
If it was just a chef, I would expect it might have its own mixer attachment. If it was more general-purpose robot assistant, then whatever is available. I don’t think robot humanoid slaves are necessarily a viable idea at all, but they are an idea. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/63 "2026-04-20T17:58:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Technology usually tries to develop ways of doing things that are more efficient than the existing way rather than just imitating the existing way. That’s why airplanes don’t flap their wings and boats don’t swim. If we have a task that needs the physical capabilities of a human being, we’ll probably just use a human being. Robots will be designed to have physical capabilities humans lack. Look, a robot that could climb stairs would be useful for a lot of things. But like your example with the airplane, it doesn’t have to have legs; it can climb stairs some other way. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/64 "2026-04-20T18:01:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Technology usually tries to develop ways of doing things that are more efficient than the existing way rather than just imitating the existing way. That’s why airplanes don’t flap their wings and boats don’t swim. More like simpler than more efficient. We simply haven’t had the technology to make something as mechanically sophisticated as animals. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/65 "2026-04-20T18:41:57Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Look, a robot that could climb stairs would be useful for a lot of things. But like your example with the airplane, it doesn’t have to have legs; it can climb stairs some other way. As noted above, walking on two legs is a lot more complicated. So if there’s a market for walking robots, they’ll most likely have four legs. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/66 "2026-04-20T19:28:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think we’re going to take the technology that allows a robot to walk or run and develop many real world applications for it. In the real world if we need a machine to move around, we put it on wheels. hmmm … we converted THE WORLD into what you call THE **REAL** WORLD by putting out millions of miles of bands of asphalt so it can be easily used by wheels …anywhere those bands are NOT, wheels have all kinds of problems. My WAG would be: its quite beneficial/potentially interesting everywhere you can’t go easily with wheels … which still is about 90% of the worlds surface … ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/67 "2026-04-20T23:02:04Z")
True. In fact, a “centaur” configuration would probably be best for robots operating in human spaces. Is anyone doing that? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/68 "2026-04-20T23:05:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > True. In fact, a “centaur” configuration would probably be best for robots operating in human spaces. One of human’s great evolutionary advantages of getting bi-pedal was freeing the hands for a myriad of tasks. Maybe a centaur with an additional pair of arms/hands? ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/69 "2026-04-20T23:06:21Z")
So eight limbs? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/70 "2026-04-20T23:09:43Z")
Did have centaurs have six limbs? I think I’m out of my depth here. I only remember that they used to be very confrontational and, well, rapey. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/71 "2026-04-20T23:31:17Z")
looks like 6 limbs … . (there seems to be conflicting reports on where the rapey parts actually are located) … here is somewhat of a gamut of possibilities. [![](https://images.imagerenderer.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/3/the-centaur-scale-joe-dator.jpg) ](https://images.imagerenderer.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/3/the-centaur-scale-joe-dator.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/72 "2026-04-20T23:33:01Z")
ETA: ninjaed … Centaurs had 6. Sort like llamas with brains & 2 arms. But robots can have 4 for locomotion and 23 more for manipulation if that’s the ideal number. The marginal difficulty of limbs on robots is substantially zero compared to the marginal difficulty on biological units. Those bio-loozers! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/73 "2026-04-21T00:28:23Z")
My Scoutmaster used to say that if you can get there in a car it isn’t the wilderness. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/74 "2026-04-21T01:10:07Z")
I think he’s right. Which is why I don’t vacation anywhere that I can’t reach by car (and more than a few places that I could). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/75 "2026-04-21T01:12:47Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > hmmm … we converted THE WORLD into what you call THE **REAL** WORLD by putting out millions of miles of bands of asphalt so it can be easily used by wheels …anywhere those bands are NOT, wheels have all kinds of problems. > > My WAG would be: its quite beneficial/potentially interesting everywhere you can’t go easily with wheels … which still is about 90% of the worlds surface … There are plenty of wheeled vehicles which routinely operate off road. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/76 "2026-04-21T01:41:55Z")
But the further off road capable they are, the less good they are as a road car. I wouldn’t want to drive pretty much any rock crawler on the freeway, for instance. [https://texashighways.com/outdoors/inside-the-sport-of-texas-rock-crawling/](https://texashighways.com/outdoors/inside-the-sport-of-texas-rock-crawling/) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/77 "2026-04-21T13:32:38Z")
hey, we have gone half-circle from: - a robot is running a (half)marathon in Peking to - a human is driving a truck in Texas … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/78 "2026-04-21T15:47:15Z")
So, I was thinking ahead a century (or so, whatever) when every house has its own HandiBot5000Multitasker robot. It has whatever number of legs we settle on - two/four/six/3.5 - plus as many of hundreds of specialized attachments as you want to spring for. You like the handy pop-out iron attachment that returns your sheets to pristine wrinklefreeness each time it makes the bed? No prob, just an extra 39.95. The full range of vacuum nozzle attachments? Absolutely worth the 127,95, Not only does it get all the way into the corners, it sucks that stray cat hairs out of your heater and AC vents and dusts your orchids without disturbing a leaf. Of course you’ll want the heavy duty arm that comes out of the back of the robot that can heft several hundred pounds to move furniture out of the way, and back, while dusting. Yes, you’ll have to spring for the multi-eye-sets upgrade for that, but that’s good for so many things. I mean, the highly focusable eyes for the micro electronics repair/assembly manipulators would be far less useful without it, right? The built-in tank of spray on spot cleaner and polishing arm? How could any household with chilcren do without it? You’ll happily cough up the 69,95 to be free of random crayon marks and sticky fingerprints on the tv screen, even if you have to sell your plasma for it. And so on, to suit your individual life style. It’ll deliver the beverage of your choice, at your preferred temperature to your garden hammock with no more than a “Hey, slavy!” shout. Iron your shoelaces? Why not? Style matters. And, of course, it handles all the obvious lawn maintenance, minor house repairs, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, taking the trash out and everything else. Swapping attachments in and out or just extruding them from their cubbyholes as needed. All you have to do it keep up the rental fees. But the extra bonus: Your HandiBot5000Multitasker is automatically your home security device! What human burglar/rapist/invader could stand against it? Humans only have two arms/two legs/two eyes and barely enough brains to operate them effectively. What are they going to be able to do while HB5M is simultaneously: \*bashing them over the head with a red-hot iron? \*using their heavy duty arm to wield any handy chair as an improvised club? \*pummeling them all over their bodies with whichever arms are currently installed? \*Kicking them with n-2 of its legs? \*spraying cleaner water into their eyes/nose/mouth? \*using the microtools to snip and nip off random accessible bits, like nose and eyelids and earlobes? \*and, possibly worst of all, HB5M is using that drink attachment that knows how to open any conceivable screw-top/poptop/cork topped drink container to seize hold of dangly attachments and spin them clockwise at 20 revolutions per second? Or course it can do all those things at the same time. Unlike poor old you, it is perfectly able to assign various subportions of its memory banks/logic circuits to handle the load. I want my HB5M, don’t you? In fact, I’m going to start buying stock in the company right now! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/79 "2026-04-21T15:52:28Z")
As I remember from reading the Robert Heinlein novel _The Door into Summer_, the household robots in that story cost roughly as much as a car. So today, you might expect to pay $50,000 or so. And if a household robot is truly useful and capable of many chores, I would have no problem paying that much. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/80 "2026-04-21T16:27:19Z")
Heck, it’ll probably be able to drive the car too. I’d maybe like a chauffeur now and again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392.md?page=5)