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Humanoid robots are prepared ahead of the second Beijing E-Town Half Marathon in Beijing, China, on April 19, 2026. Photo by Reuters |
Honor’s two humanoid robots will serve as special participants in the upcoming Malaysia Marathon, taking place in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 30.
This marks the first time A1 and D1 robots have appeared publicly outside China. Rather than just performing in a controlled environment, the robots will join a race alongside crowds of participants before appearing at a major national event in Malaysia, Marathon Handbook reported.
The D1 model faces a tougher assignment, taking on the 10km distance with a midnight start from Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Honor stated that this ambitious run aims to test the robot's speed, stability and adaptability to road surfaces.
The A1 model will participate in the 5km race, starting from the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre) complex at 7:30 a.m. According to Honor, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will also participate in this run, Malay Mail reported.
The D1 already had racing experience. In April, it finished first at the second Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon after completing the 21.0975km course in a remarkable 50 minutes and 26 seconds.
This performance far surpassed the human half-marathon world record.
The competition is part of a rapidly growing trend of robots participating in long-distance races across China. At the Beijing event, D1 also won the Best Design award, while the A1 received the Best Gait award.
Malaysia will be the first country outside China to witness these two robots competing in public.
Following the Malaysia Marathon, the A1 and D1 will head to Dataran Putrajaya on Aug. 31. They will participate in the grand parade celebrating Malaysia's 69th National Day.
According to Honor, this marks the very first time the technology company is participating in the Merdeka parade as a contingent. It’s the first time a smartphone brand has taken part in the national event.
Prior to the parade and marathon, on Aug. 29 and 30, both robots will make special appearances at Honor's promotional booths located at KLCC and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. Visitors will be able to view the machines up close and take photos with them.
