BEIJING — It was not even close as a bright red Chinese humanoid named “Lightning” lived up to its name in a half-marathon pitting humans against robots, smoking its competition on Sunday

Chinese humanoid robot maker UBTech Robotics Corp. is seeking a chief scientist, offering an annual pay of as much as 124 million yuan ($18 million) in an aggressive bet on an industry where product applications are still at an early stage.

Chinese carmaker Chery has officially taken a bold step into the future by becoming one of the first robot makers to sell its humanoid product directly to the public.

The ATEC2026 -- AI and Robotics Real-World Extreme Challenge officially launched today.