ANTARCTICA: A humanoid robot has made an unprecedented entry into one of the world's coldest endurance races, capturing global attention after attempting the Antarctic Ice Ultra near Ultima Camp before freezing temperatures drained its battery and forced it to withdraw.
Named Qestr, the robot became the first machine of its kind to enter the polar ultramarathon, joining human endurance athletes on the snow-covered course.
The historic attempt put modern robotics to the test in temperatures as low as minus 24 degrees Celsius (-11°F). To protect its sensitive internal components, Qestr was equipped with a specially designed thermal jacket.
The machine initially managed to navigate the rough, snow-covered terrain, showing its ability to operate in an environment that presents serious challenges even for humans.
However, the extreme cold eventually brought the ambitious attempt to a halt. The freezing conditions reduced the performance of Qestr's lithium-ion battery cells, causing its power supply to drain rapidly.
The battery failure forced the robot to leave the race after covering just 3 kilometers (about 1.9 miles), ending its attempt to complete the demanding course.
Although Qestr failed to reach the finish line, its Antarctic debut offered engineers valuable real-world insights into how humanoid robots, their batteries and autonomous systems perform in extreme polar conditions.
The experiment highlighted both the growing potential of robotics and the technical challenges engineers must overcome before machines can operate reliably in some of the harshest environments on Earth.
