Chinese robots break Usain Bolt's 100-meter record at Beijing World Humanoid Robot Games
Braking was an issue, as the machines slammed into a thick mat that organizers placed several meters after the finish line.
On Saturday, Chinese robots defied the world record of Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter sprint at the World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing. This marked a significant improvement from the previous year when the winning robot took over 20 seconds to complete the race. The event, which begins on Saturday and continues for five days, includes various sports competitions and scenario-based tests for robots to showcase their capabilities.
One robot completed the 100-meter sprint in an impressive 9.39 seconds, breaking Bolt's world record. Another robot managed to run 400 meters in just 39.7 seconds, faster than South African Wayde van Niekerk's world record of 43.03 seconds. The five-day event, heavily promoted in Chinese state media, features 51 events, with 30 sports competitions and 21 scenario-based contests.
Organizers placed a thick mat after the finish line to prevent the robots from slamming into it after braking. The event, promoted in Chinese state media, aims to demonstrate the robots' versatility in simulated factories, restaurants, offices, and emergency situations. Over 40% of the events require robots to operate fully autonomously, demanding significant attention to battery management and thermal dissipation capabilities, according to spectator and robotics investor Xu Qiaosheng.
In addition to traditional sports like tug-of-war, weightlifting, Tai Chi, and pitch-pot, robots will also participate in industrial assembly, material-loading, EV charging, and emergency incident handling. A cable connection challenge tests the robots' vision, mechanical alignment, and force control.
Experts believe that the real test will come after the demonstrations end, as the competition will be whether these robots can solve real-world problems. Only when robots can work in end scenarios will they have real value, said Lumos Robotics Chief Executive Yu Chao.
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