# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**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, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/81 "2026-04-21T18:00:02Z")
You do know that you won’t actually **own** your household robot, don’t you? It’ll be a subscription service; and other than a few trivial user settings it’s programming will be 100% controlled by the HandiBot company– for which, your HandiBot5000Multitasker will be a spy and a shill. ---
**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, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/82 "2026-04-21T18:13:16Z")
I think some of the robot vacuum cleaners were suspected of spying. ---
**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, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/83 "2026-04-21T22:16:41Z")
It’s like a mermaid. You want this [![](https://res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/d_642250b563292b35f27461a7.png,f_jpg,fl_progressive,q_auto,w_1024/5f9bdc201774a8001d3ae98e.jpg) ](https://res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/d_642250b563292b35f27461a7.png,f_jpg,fl_progressive,q_auto,w_1024/5f9bdc201774a8001d3ae98e.jpg) Not this [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXrFOfHAnbBa2GtqMRwulSkwdS1dzCRclQDxTO-tD-ySoIjU0DDQ_5oOMUsbo-j4OQpnDsblviQKcWvkLaOs1u0pWGpHESmPA&s&ec=121644734) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQXrFOfHAnbBa2GtqMRwulSkwdS1dzCRclQDxTO-tD-ySoIjU0DDQ_5oOMUsbo-j4OQpnDsblviQKcWvkLaOs1u0pWGpHESmPA&s&ec=121644734) Even though the second one would do better in a half-marathon. ---
**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 22, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/84 "2026-04-22T22:08:40Z")
so, **Half-Marathons** are a done thing, now robots are also starting to win in **Table-Tennis** (against semi-pros and pros): (german language article, probably can be translated by google) > **[Roboter schlägt Topspieler im Tischtennis](https://science.orf.at/stories/3235205/)** > > Ein mit künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) trainierter autonomer Roboter liefert beim Tischtennis wettbewerbsfähige Leistungen ab. Der Roboter namens „Ace“ wurde von Sony AI mit Unterstützung aus Österreich entwickelt und nun im Fachjournal „Nature“... [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10338-5](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10338-5) there is a silver lining, however: It seems that the TT-robot will not be running HM any time soon, and vice versa. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/85 "2026-04-23T02:57:35Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > What are they going to be able to do while HB5M is simultaneously: > > \*bashing them over the head with a red-hot iron? Hey HB5M, First Law! ---
**Author:** ![Darkstratus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darkstratus/32/21127_2.png) [@Darkstratus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkstratus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/86 "2026-04-23T03:00:36Z")
this could be quite good if done right ---
**Author:** ![Darkstratus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darkstratus/32/21127_2.png) [@Darkstratus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkstratus)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392/87 "2026-04-23T03:18:15Z")
Do you actually think we would evolve to play chess? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robot-wins-peking-half-marathon/1029392.md?page=4)