Chinese Humanoid Robot 'Lightning' Breaks Usain Bolt's 100m World Record
Apnews · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Honor's Lightning humanoid robot completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human record. The robot reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second during the preparatory test event. The Olympics-like competition at the National Speed Skating Oval drew over 2,000 humanoid robots, with another robot setting a high jump record of 2.88 meters.
Key Points
- Lightning, developed by Honor, ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's 9.58-second record, at 14.5 m/s peak speed
- Over 2,000 humanoid robots participated in the games at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval
- A humanoid robot cleared 2.88 meters in high jump, surpassing the human record of 2.45 meters set by Javier Sotomayor
- The US FCC banned imports of foreign humanoid robots and added Unitree to its military list citing national security
- China manufactures the majority of the world's humanoid robots; the Pentagon recently flagged Unitree over alleged military ties
Why It Matters
The record-breaking performances demonstrate China's rapid advancement in humanoid robotics, raising questions about the future of automation in manufacturing and services across Asia. The US restrictions highlight the growing technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing, with humanoid robots becoming a new front in trade and security tensions. The games showcase how quickly humanoid robots are evolving from laboratory curiosities into formidable machines that can outperform humans physically.
The record-breaking performances demonstrate China's rapid advancement in humanoid robotics, raising questions about the future of automation in manufacturing and services across Asia. The US restrictions highlight the growing technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing, with humanoid robots becoming a new front in trade and security tensions. The games showcase how quickly humanoid robots are evolving from laboratory curiosities into formidable machines that can outperform humans physically.