Chinese humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt's sprint world record
Two human records were smashed by robots competing in the Olympics-like World Humanoid Robot Games in China.
A humanoid robot from Beijing-based X-Humanoid has shattered the 100-meter sprint world record, clocking in at 9.39 seconds during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China, on Saturday. This surpassed Usain Bolt's 2009 record of 9.58 seconds. Upon crossing the finish line, the robot collided with a cushion and fell, before being carried away on stretchers.
Another X-Humanoid robot held the high jump record, soaring to a height of 2.88 meters, exceeding Cuba's Javier Sotomayor's 1993 record of 2.45 meters. While the humanoid robots showcased impressive feats, some struggled, with a few tripping, tumbling, and even breaking apart. The Olympics-like event, now in its second year, features over 2,000 humanoid robots from around the world, focusing on competitions like running, table tennis, and soccer to highlight China's advancements in robotics.
The organizers stated that Chinese robots defeated human world records during the opening day of the event, with hundreds of robots marching in perfect synchronization. Concerns over national security led the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to ban imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots, as well as the Pentagon adding Chinese robot maker Unitree to its list of companies with potential military ties.
Despite these setbacks, China continues to dominate the production of humanoid robots, with numerous government and private orders for these advanced machines. However, experts suggest that widespread real-world deployment of this technology remains a long-term endeavor.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.