🤖 Quadruped Unitree A2 Wins Robot Race on Mount Tai
On November 2, 2026, in Tai'an, state broadcaster CMG held the world's first robot race: nearly 90 teams completed the Hongmen — Zhongtianmen trail, a 3.9 km course with over 3,100 steps. Among quadrupeds, the Unitree A2 won with a time of 43 minutes and 41 seconds; in the humanoid category, the Yinyi NE01 was first over 1.6 km, while a dev version of the Unitree G1 overheated and withdrew.
🌍 Steps of varying heights and widths provide a field test that cannot be replaced by lab demos. The Unitree A2's victory cements its leadership in the quadruped segment, while the overheating of humanoids exposed their weak point—heat dissipation under load.
👤 A time of 43:41 on such a course shows that a quadruped robot can already navigate rough terrain under load. Exoskeleton and passability categories are next.
Source 1: https://english.news.cn/20261103/2e202caec0b342c6ae4c9f0ada68e399/c.html Source 2: https://subsites.chinadaily.com.cn/shandong/taian/2026-11/03/c_1224803.htm