A Chinese humanoid robot, Tiangong Ultra, ran 100 metres in 9.39 seconds in a preliminary heat at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday, faster than the men's world record held by Jamaican ​sprinting great Usain Bolt, Reuters reported.
Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Tiangong Ultra overtook Honor's humanoid robot Lightning near the finish line after initially trailing it. Lightning finished the official heat in 9.47 seconds, also faster than Bolt's 9.58 second record set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
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Lightning had already demonstrated significant endurance earlier in 2026. Reuters reported that Lightning won a humanoid robot half-marathon in Beijing in April, finishing in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. This pace was reportedly faster than the pace of the human men's world record for the half-marathon.
Reuters reported that Lightning underwent a physical modification between its half-marathon and that robot games. The robot stood 169 cm tall and had 95 cm legs during the half-marathon. Researchers subsequently lengthened its legs by 10 cm, bringing them to 1.05 metres. The modification came ahead of the robot games and is relevant to understand its improved sprint performance.
The second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games featured 51 events, including football, dancing and industrial tasks, with 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries and 6 continents participating.
The event is a part of China's broader push to demonstrate advances in humanoid robotics and their potential applications. Reuters reported that China's robotics sector benefits from domestic supply chains, government subsidies and policy support, including priorities laid out in China's 2021 five-year plan.
The country's growing investor enthusiasm for humanoid robotics was also highlighted by Reuters, which reported that Unitree shares surged more than fivefold during the company's Shanghai debut, giving it a market value of around $50 billion.
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