China’s Sprinting Robot Beats Usain A Chinese humanoid robot has shattered Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint record. At the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, the Tiangong Ultra clocked a 100m run in 8.64 seconds—reaching an average speed of nearly 42 km/h (26 mph) and beating Bolt's 9.58-second world record by nearly a second.
However, experts note that while the machine achieved superhuman speed, it didn't do so by running like a human.
A Slow Start, Then Relentless Speed
- Clunky Stance: Unlike human sprinters who burst explosive energy out of starting blocks, Tiangong starts upright. It also delayed almost a full second registering the starting signal, meaning Bolt would have led by two seconds over the first five meters.
- Choppy Cadence: While Bolt took 41 long strides to finish 100 meters, Tiangong took over 50 smaller, faster steps to maintain stability and avoid falling.
- Zero Fatigue: Powered by electric motors and gearboxes rather than muscles, the robot suffered no late-race slowdown—though its first record run ended with it crashing directly into a padded wall.
Experts emphasize that the next big challenge for robotics isn't just raw speed, but agility: learning how to decelerate, turn, and navigate obstacles without crashing.
Source: Reuters
