Multiple reports indicate that approximately 100 teams are registered for the competition, with around 300 robots expected to participate, a nearly fivefold increase in team numbers from the inaugural event. According to Euronews, a team member from China Agricultural University described assembling a robot just hours before entering it into the competition. Technical challenges and autonomous navigation are key aspects of the event.
More than 70 teams participated in an overnight test run in Beijing's E-Town development zone ahead of the official race. Liang Liang of the Chinese Institute of Electronics stated that around 40% of teams are relying on fully autonomous navigation for the race, which includes both remotely controlled and fully autonomous robots. At last year's inaugural event, only six out of 21 robots that started managed to finish, highlighting the difficulties faced.
New awards have been introduced this year, including prizes for endurance and for simply finishing the race. The exact criteria for these awards, such as the endurance prize, have not been specified. It remains unclear how many robots will finish this year, given last year's low completion rate, and what specific route in Beijing the half-marathon will take on April 19.
Additionally, measures to address technical issues like overheating and battery drainage reported by teams have not been detailed, and the total number of participating teams and robots on race day is uncertain, with sources providing different figures from test runs and registrations.