Robot Marathon

26 Feb 2011 - The world's first full length marathon for two-legged robots kicked off in Japan last week. The toy-sized humanoids are set to run the 42,195km over four days. The machines began the non-stop race on a 100m indoor track in the city of Osaka after doing knee bends or raising their hands to greet spectators. The race is a big hit with Osaka citizens who have flocked to the venue to watch the spectacle unfold. The bipedal robots - the tallest of which measures 44 cm - must complete 423 laps to reach their goal. The "Robo Mara Full" race is organized by Vstone Co, a robot technology firm based in Osaka, in cooperation with the Osaka prefectural Government. Vstone robots took an early lead, while the two entrants of the University of Osaka Engineering teams got off to a shaky start.