Usain Bolt’s 100m record broken at World Humanoid Robot Games

What the report says

A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has posted a 100-metre time that, according to China’s state broadcaster, is faster than Usain Bolt’s human world record. Reuters, reporting for Al Jazeera, said the robot, called Lightning, ran the distance in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory event for the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, which opened on Saturday. The robot also reached a top speed of 14.5 metres per second, state media reported.

The result edges past Bolt’s 9.58-second record from the 2009 world championships in Berlin. The report adds to growing attention in China around humanoid robotics, which the country has promoted as a strategic sector for industry and everyday applications. Policymakers and companies are investing in AI and hardware development for uses that could include manufacturing, logistics and consumer services.

Al Jazeera’s report also noted that Lightning had previously won a half marathon in Beijing in April, and that researchers later adjusted the robot’s leg length before the games. The performance is significant less as an athletic comparison than as a sign of how quickly robotics systems are improving in speed, balance and mobility. More broadly, it reflects China’s push to showcase humanoid robots on an international stage through competition and demonstration events.