Humanoids break records at Beijing Robot Games

Humanoid robots took center stage at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, outperforming human records and entertaining spectators over the weekend. Dozens of the robots, accompanied by their human operators, participated in events ranging from athletics to boxing, football, and martial arts at the Olympic speed skating arena.

A Chinese robot named Tiangong Ultra shattered both the 100-metre and 400-metre world records during the competition. Tiangong Ultra clocked in at 9.39 seconds for the 100-metre sprint, surpassing Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009. Later, the same robot broke the 400-metre world record with a time of 38.15 seconds, nearly five seconds faster than the previous record.

Despite some mishaps, such as the robot stumbling and folding over during a boxing match, the event drew cheers from the crowd. Children and their parents enjoyed watching the clumsy robots, while spectators speculated about the robots' potential to surpass humans in tasks beyond running. One spectator, 72-year-old Hou Yali, expressed her interest in seeing robots perform household tasks and care for the elderly, rather than just competing in athletic events.