Honor's humanoid robot races two human running champions

Honor's self-developed humanoid robot Lightning raced against human champions: Sebastian Savje, the first person to finish an official marathon under 2 hours, and Zhao Jiaju, a top Chinese trail runner. The three took turns on a 20-meter track.

The robot is called HONOR Robotics D1. In April, it won the Beijing Yizhuang humanoid robot half marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. Honor's robot team was founded only in February 2025, and its 200-person group brought the robot to the podium in 14 months.

Lightning's legs are 1.05 meters long, and it runs 100 meters in about 10 seconds in tests. It can navigate on its own, and its liquid cooling, battery, and structure tech came from Honor's flagship phones.

China now has over 400 humanoid robot models, more than half of the world's total. Honor plans to invest 10 billion US dollars over 5 years, and its robots will target malls, factories, and homes.