Newly launched Unitree robot can run faster than Usain Bolt: Here’s what makes it different
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Newly launched Unitree robot can run faster than Usain Bolt: Here’s what makes it different")
Unitree’s ‘Superman’ robot can jump 2 metres and run faster than Usain Bolt Photograph: (AI generated)
China’s Unitree has unveiled “Superman”, a new humanoid robot that it says can jump 2 metres and reach 12.66 m/s. The reveal comes days before Unitree’s Shanghai IPO, which raised $905 million and attracted record retail investor demand.
China’s humanoid robot race has produced another striking machine. Unitree Robotics has unveiled a new robot called “Superman”, which the company says can jump 2 metres from a standing position and reach a top speed of 12.66 metres per second. The reveal comes at a crucial moment for Unitree. The Hangzhou-based company is preparing to begin trading on Shanghai’s STAR Market after raising 6.1 billion yuan ($905 million) in an IPO that attracted extraordinary retail demand. Its retail offering was reportedly more than 8,000 times oversubscribed.
Unitree’s ‘Superman’ can jump 2 metres
Unitree says it developed the new robot in just over three months. Its headline performance figures are unusual even for the rapidly advancing humanoid sector. The robot can reportedly perform a 2-metre standing jump and reach 12.66 m/s, or about 45.6 km/h. For comparison, Usain Bolt's recorded top speed during his 100-metre world-record run was around 12.4 m/s. However, the comparison should be treated carefully: a robot's brief peak speed is not the same as a human athlete's performance over a race. Unitree has also stressed that “Superman” is still a work in progress and could be improved in the coming months.
Why Unitree is attracting so much attention
The robot reveal arrives just before Unitree's Shanghai debut, adding another dose of excitement around one of China's most closely watched robotics companies. Unitree has said it had produced and delivered about 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots across its models by July, highlighting its focus on manufacturing as well as demonstrations. The company has become particularly visible because its robots have been shown running, dancing and performing martial-arts movements. Its official history also records large-scale humanoid demonstrations, including performances involving dozens of robots. Unitree is backed by major Chinese technology companies, including Tencent, Alibaba and DeepSeek, further increasing its profile among investors.
The IPO adds another layer to the robot race
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Unitree's IPO is being closely watched because it offers investors one of the clearest public-market tests yet for China's humanoid-robot industry. The company priced its shares at 150.80 yuan each, raising about 6.1 billion yuan and implying a valuation of roughly $9 billion. That enthusiasm also comes with a warning. Humanoid robots remain an emerging market, and strong demonstrations do not automatically translate into mass commercial deployment. For Unitree, the next test is therefore bigger than how fast “Superman” can run. Investors will want to know whether China’s humanoid-robot frenzy can turn impressive machines into a sustainable business.
