Chinese Humanoid Robot Runs 100 Metres in 9.39 Seconds at Beijing Games

A humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra completed 100 metres in 9.39 seconds during a preliminary heat at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on 22 August.

The time is faster than the human men’s world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009. Honor’s Lightning robot finished second in the same heat at 9.47 seconds. Both machines crossed the finish line and then collided with protective mats, with Tiangong stumbling sideways and Lightning collapsing.

Tiangong Ultra is developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center. Last year at the inaugural games the same robot won the 100 metres in 21.50 seconds. The improvement of more than 12 seconds illustrates the rapid progress in bipedal locomotion and balance control.

More than 2,000 robots from 666 teams representing 16 countries are competing in 51 events that include football, dancing and industrial tasks. The games are being held at the National Speed Skating Oval and run through the week.

China has designated humanoid robotics a strategic industry. Investor interest is high; Unitree, another Chinese maker, saw its valuation reach approximately $50 billion after a recent Shanghai listing. The performances remain constrained by control systems that still produce abrupt stops and falls once the programmed distance ends.

Lightning had earlier won a humanoid half-marathon in 50 minutes 26 seconds. The 100-metre results mark the first time machines have officially undercut the human sprint record in a sanctioned competition setting.