Faster than Usain Bolt: Chinese robot smashes 100m record at humanoid games
On Saturday, a Chinese humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra shattered the world record for the 100-meter sprint, finishing the race in just 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. This triumph marks a significant improvement from the previous year's record of 21.50 seconds, demonstrating remarkable progress in robotic performance.
Tiangong Ultra edged out the second-place finisher, Honor's Lightning, by a narrow margin of 0.07 seconds. However, the robot's victory came at a cost, as it collided with a safety mat and had to be helped off the track by spectators. Lightning, clocked in with an impressive 9.32 seconds, also crashed during a previous test run, reaching a top speed of 14.5 meters per second and becoming the fastest humanoid robot on record.
With the 100-meter race being just one of 51 events at the games, the competition has drawn an impressive 2,056 robots from 666 teams across 16 countries. The humanoid robot industry in China is a strategic priority, with officials and businesses anticipating rapid advancements driven by AI and hardware improvements. This enthusiasm was evident as Unitree's stock skyrocketed fivefold following its debut on the Shanghai market.
As the games continue, the focus remains on showcasing the cutting-edge capabilities of China's humanoid robots on the global stage.
Written by urgent.news from The Indian Express's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
