Robot dog climbs Mount Tai’s 3,100 steps in 43 minutes to win race

A race up a famous stone stairway

Mount Tai (Taishan) in Shandong province is one of China’s best-known mountains, and its main hiking route is a long stone stairway. The race used the section from Hongmen, at the foot of the mountain, to Zhongtianmen (the Middle Gate of Heaven): about 3.9 km with more than 3,100 steps and a height gain of nearly 600 metres.

The competition was organised by China Media Group (CMG), the state broadcaster that runs CCTV. Qualifying runs began on 26 October and the main event was held on 2 November, with nearly 90 teams. Organisers said it was meant to test how robots handle motion control, route planning and decision-making in an unstructured, outdoor setting.[2][3][4][5]

The results so far

The legged-robot speed race was won by the Beijing Lingyi Technology team, whose B01 four-legged robot reached Zhongtianmen in 43 minutes 41 seconds. Kuai Technology reported that the robot has a low centre of gravity and uses lidar and depth cameras to adjust its gait within milliseconds on wet, uneven steps.

Humanoid robots raced in two stages. The Zhishen Lingyue team won the main stage, from Hongmen Square to Doumu Palace, in 27 minutes 26 seconds, and also took a ‘Peak Challenger’ award for the harder stage from Doumu Palace to Hutian Pavilion, which it completed in 55 minutes 34 seconds. In the load-carrying race for legged robots, the Lingsi Intelligence ‘Lingshi’ team won with 400 points and a time of 1 hour 51 minutes 29 seconds.

Results for the exoskeleton-assisted race and an all-terrain scouting challenge were due to be announced later.[2][3][4]

Robots already on the mountain

Machines are not new on Mount Tai. In April 2025 CCTV reported that the scenic area was renting out wearable climbing-assist robots, weighing under 2 kg, for ¥80 (about US$11) for three hours, and was testing a robot dog that could carry about 100 kg to help bring rubbish down from the summit, which can receive up to 80,000 visitors a day.[6]