By Eduardo Baptista and Alessandro Diviggiano BEIJING (Reuters) -Twenty-one humanoid robots joined thousands of runners at the Yizhuang half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, the first time these machines have raced alongside humans over a 21-km (13-mile) course.

More than 20 two-legged robots competed in the world’s first humanoid half-marathon in China on Saturday, and – though technologically impressive – they were far from outrunning their human masters over the long distance.

Some of China’s best humanoid robots took on the challenge of racing against human marathon runners on Saturday. One fell at the starting line. Another’s head fell off and rolled on the ground. And one collapsed and broke into pieces.