Chinese robot outruns Usain Bolt's record
Beijing: A Chinese humanoid robot called Tiangong Ultra completed a 100-meter race in 9.39 seconds, surpassing the men's world record held by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, according to preliminary results from the World Humanoid Robot Games. Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, claimed victory in its opening heat at the second edition of the games.
The robot, which reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second, initially faltered in the race, colliding with a mat and stumbling before overcoming the obstacles. Its competitor, Honor's Lightning, also ran 100 meters in 9.47 seconds, causing it to collapse and be carried away on a stretcher. Despite the mishaps, Tiangong Ultra's performance marked significant progress from last year's inaugural games, when it completed the 100 meters in 21.50 seconds.
The humanoid robot games, held at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, featured 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries and six continents. The event included various competitions such as football, dancing, and industrial-task contests. China has been promoting humanoid robots as a strategic industry, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and hardware, with applications in manufacturing, logistics, and consumer sectors.
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