Robot dogs race up Mount Tai in the rain, tackling 3,100 stone steps and slippery mountain trails in a test of robotic mobility.
Robot dogs raced up the stone steps of Mount Tai in Shandong Province on October 26th, as rain and slippery surfaces tested their ability to navigate steep and uneven terrain. The qualifying round of the inaugural CMG World Robot Mount Tai Competition brought together teams from Chinese robotics companies, universities and research institutions.
The leading quadruped robot, developed by Zhishen Technology, completed the 3.8-kilometre route from Hongmen to Zhongtianmen in about one hour. The course includes more than 3,100 stone steps, with steep slopes and winding paths along the way. Rain made the steps slippery, adding to the challenge.
Unlike robots operating on flat, controlled surfaces, machines competing on Mount Tai had to maintain balance while moving over uneven steps and changing gradients. Their performance put locomotion control, stability and adaptability to the test. The results also offered teams an opportunity to assess their robots under real-world conditions.
The qualifying round featured competitions for quadruped robots, including speed and load-carrying events, as well as an all-terrain challenge. The humanoid robot race was cancelled because of the rain, for safety reasons. Results from the qualifying round will determine the starting order for the final.
The competition uses Mount Tai’s natural mountain trails as a testing ground for embodied intelligence. The final is scheduled for November 2nd.
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