A Chinese humanoid robot has beaten Usain Bolt’s 100-metre world record after completing the distance in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
The robot, Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, achieved the feat during a preliminary heat at the competition on Saturday. It surpassed Bolt’s 9.58-second world record, set in 2009.
Another humanoid robot, Lightning, developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, also posted an impressive 9.47 seconds in the race. Honor had previously claimed that Lightning completed a test run in 9.32 seconds, with a reported peak speed of 14.5 metres per second.
However, the robots’ speed came with some instability. Tiangong Ultra reportedly stumbled after crossing the finish line, while Lightning also lost balance and collapsed.
The World Humanoid Robot Games, which began in Beijing on Saturday, feature more than 2,000 robots from 666 teams representing 16 countries. The five-day event includes 51 competitions covering sports such as sprinting, football and table tennis, as well as practical tasks designed to test robots in real-world environments.
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