Supporting the “Lightning” Robot! Luoyang Bearings Help a Chinese Robot Break the Human Half Marathon Record

“The Chinese humanoid robot that broke the human half marathon record is equipped with bearings manufactured right here in Luoyang!” — On April 22, Wu Qiaoling, General Manager of Luoyang Hongyuan Bearing Technology Co., Ltd., shared the news with undisguised excitement.

On April 19, the 2026 Beijing E-Town Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon concluded. Honor robots equipped with Hongyuan bearings swept the top six places. Among them, the “Lightning” robot claimed the championship with a net time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, surpassing the human men’s half marathon world record set by Ugandan renowned athlete Jacob Kiplimo, thus demonstrating the robust technical strength of “Luoyang Bearings.”

It is understood that the core of a humanoid robot’s motion precision and reliability lies in its joint support components. Among these, crossed roller bearings, as critical components of the rotational joints, directly determine whether the robot moves smoothly, positions accurately, and operates stably over extended periods.

As a core component supplier for Honor, Hongyuan Bearing provided all competing Honor robots with its HRAU series thin‑section crossed roller bearings. This bearing series is specifically tailored to the demanding motion conditions of humanoid robots. Featuring an ultra‑thin cross‑section design of only 5 mm, it overcomes the space constraints within robotic joints, enabling efficient integration within extremely limited installation envelopes while supporting robot lightweighting and compactness. In addition, the product incorporates a high‑rigidity structural design, with rollers arranged in a 90° cross pattern. This configuration allows the bearing to simultaneously withstand radial, axial, and tilting moment loads, achieving a rigidity three to four times that of conventional single‑row bearings. As a result, it provides stable rotational support and high load capacity for core motion joints such as the robot's shoulders, hips, and legs.

“During the 21.0975 km long‑distance, high‑load running process, the Honor robot must continuously perform high‑frequency movements including joint flexion/extension and center‑of‑gravity adjustment, while enduring severe vibrations and alternating loads,” said Wu Qiaoling. “The compactness, lightweight design, and high‑rigidity advantages of the HRAU series thin‑section crossed roller bearings not only effectively reduce energy losses during joint motion but also avoid issues such as joint jitter and drift. This helps the humanoid robot run farther and maintain a more stable posture.”

As a leading enterprise in the domestic robot bearing sector, Hongyuan Bearing has long focused on the R&D of bearings specifically for robotic applications, holding a market share of over 90% in this field. Its products are widely used by mainstream Chinese robot manufacturers including Leader Harmonic Drive, Zhiyuan, and Unitree. Notably, Hongyuan bearings supported Unitree's robots in achieving multiple global records during the Wu BOT performance at the Year of the Horse Spring Festival Gala, and their consistent and reliable performance has earned broad recognition across the industry.

At present, as a key direction in the cultivation of China’s new quality productive forces, the humanoid robot industry has entered a critical phase marked by accelerating technological iteration and faster scenario deployment. This places higher performance demands on core components.

Wu Qiaoling noted that, in the next stage, Hongyuan Bearing will conduct further research and development under the provincial major science and technology project “Research and Industrialization of Key Technologies for Thin‑Section Crossed Roller Bearings for Humanoid Robots,” for which the company serves as the lead applicant. The company aims to continuously break through technical barriers and refine its product matrix, thereby providing robust “joint” support for domestic humanoid robots as they move from laboratory settings to real‑world applications, and helping China’s robotics industry seize an early advantage in global competition.