WATCH: Chinese humanoid robots beat Usain Bolt's 100m record at World Humanoid Robot Games
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "WATCH: Chinese humanoid robots beat Usain Bolt's 100m record at World Humanoid Robot Games")
Chinese humanoid robots at the World Humanoid Robot Games 2026. Photograph: (X/@WIONews)
Tiangong Ultra pulled ahead of Honor's robot 'Lightning' early on, though Lightning still finished in 9.47 seconds, also beating Bolt's 9.58-second record from the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
In a surprising development, a Chinese humanoid robot ran 100 metres at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday (August 22) in 9.39 seconds in a preliminary heat, faster than Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt. Organisers of the event confirmed that Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, won its heat at the opening of the second edition of the games.
The robot left behind smartphone maker Honor's humanoid robot 'Lightning' near the finish after falling behind early in the race. Lightning finished the race in 9.47 seconds, which is also faster than Bolt's record, who took 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Tiangong's victory in Beijing last year
Video of the robots from the event surfaced on social media, showing Tiangong Ultra in orange colour and Lightning in black-and-white running in the race. It is seen that 'Tiangong' fell soon after crossing the finish line, and 'Lightning' finished just after it. Tiangong veered wildly off course into the sidelines, sending onlookers scrambling out of the way, while Lightning collapsed and had to be carried off on a stretcher.
Even so, the results marked a clear improvement on last year's inaugural games, where Tiangong Ultra had won the 100 metres in 21.50 seconds. Tiangong also claimed victory in the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon, held in Beijing last year.
Earlier on Saturday, Chinese state media reported that Lightning had clocked a 100-metre run in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory test, reaching a peak speed of 14.5 metres per second. Lightning went on to win this year's humanoid half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the elite men's human world record pace. During the half-marathon, Lightning stood 169 cm tall with 95-cm legs; researchers later extended its legs by 10 cm, to 1.05 metres, ahead of the games, according to broadcaster CCTV.
