All legs below the neck: netizen-made “Bean‑Foot” robot turns heads at Beijing humanoid marathon

At the start line

A squat, many‑legged robot nicknamed the "Bean‑Foot" (豆脚) stole the spotlight at the 2026 Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon, a 21.0975‑kilometre race that began at Tongming Lake in the Yizhuang tech district and finished at Nanhaizi Park. The event, themed “Yima Takes the Lead” (亦马当先), drew established robotics firms showing off speed and balance — and one decidedly different entry that left spectators laughing and livestreams buzzing.

A netizen creation

It has been reported that the machine was a DIY assembly by Douyin (抖音) creator “同济子豪兄,” built on a Xiaopai chassis from Gaoqing Power (高擎动力) with a costume head made by偶域 KigLand Kigurumi. Reportedly the design intentionally places "all legs below the neck" and borrows the round, cartoonish face of a popular virtual character, hence the nickname. The blogger told followers the Bean‑Foot “might not be the fastest, but it’s the most abstract,” and clips of the robot quickly circulated across social platforms.

Why it matters

The moment is a small example of a broader trend: China's flourishing maker and livestream cultures are increasingly visible alongside commercial robotics efforts. Hobbyist builds and performance‑oriented robots function as both art and outreach — attracting new audiences to engineering while sidestepping the high‑stakes race for humanoid commercialization. At the same time, Beijing’s robotics push is unfolding amid global tensions over AI and chip exports; domestic creativity and local supply chains are becoming ever more important as Western export controls reshape hardware sourcing.

Is Bean‑Foot a mascot, a protest against formality, or simply a joyful oddity? Maybe all three. Either way, the little many‑legged runner proved that in China’s tech scene, imagination can be as viral as engineering.