Humanoid Robot Qestr Enters Antarctic Marathon, Retires After 3 km in -24°C Cold

The robot joined 25 human runners at the Antarctic Ice Ultra in a thermal jacket. Its battery gave out first.

A humanoid robot named Qestr lined up with 25 human runners at the Antarctic Ice Ultra on November 8, wearing a thermal jacket against minus 24 degrees Celsius. Three kilometres in, its battery ran out, and the attempt was over.

The race, held at Ultima Camp, started at 1 a.m. under the midnight sun, with runners tackling distances from 50 kilometres to 100 miles. Race organiser Oliver Wang described Qestr as the first humanoid robot to take part in the event.

The contrast with the human field was stark. China's Yusheng Ni completed the 100-mile race in 17 hours, 2 minutes and 24 seconds, a personal record. Qestr covered 3 kilometres.

The attempt doubles as a blunt measure of where humanoid endurance stands: cold drains batteries fast, and a robot that can walk a factory floor still has little margin in extreme cold. No details about Qestr's maker or its battery were disclosed, so the 3 km figure stands on its own — less a failure than a baseline for the next attempt.