Humanoid Robots Break Usain Bolt’s 100-Meter Record

The 9.58-second 100-meter dash record set by Usain Bolt in 2009 has been surpassed by Chinese robots at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. During a preliminary heat on Saturday, Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, completed the sprint in 9.39 seconds, closely followed by the Honor-built Lightning at 9.47 seconds.

This event, often likened to an annual robot Olympics, highlights the latest advancements in bipedal robot technology. Since its inception in 2025, this year’s World Humanoid Robot Games features 2,056 robots from 16 countries competing in various categories, including sprinting, jumping, football, and boxing. Tiangong Ultra also made waves by finishing the 400-meter race in 38.16 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 43.03 seconds set by Wayde van Niekerk in 2016.

However, unlike human athletes, these speedy robots don’t get to celebrate with a victory lap after their races. Numerous videos capture the robots crashing into cushioned walls at high speeds, with the remnants of their runs being collected and carted away on stretchers. Watching these different robot models sprint is both entertaining and slightly eerie, given their unusual movements as they dash forward.