Chinese humanoid robots broke records set by humans, including beating Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint world record, on the opening day of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. According to the organizer, more than 2,000 humanoid robots participated in the event.
Chinese Humanoid Robots Shatter Sprint Records in Beijing
The five-day games, now in its second year, are taking place in the National Speed Skating Oval built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The event features 51 events and more than 1,000 competitions, including running, table tennis, soccer, boxing, high jump, and Tai Chi. Sixteen countries are participating, including Germany, Japan, and the US.
At Saturday’s opening ceremony, hundreds of humanoid robots marched in formation onto the field in a massive display of synchronized coordination. During a 100-meter sprint event, a humanoid robot achieved a result of 9.39 seconds, beating the human record of 9.58 seconds set by Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt in 2009.
In a standing high jump, a humanoid robot reached 2.88 meters, surpassing the human high jump record of 2.45 meters set by Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor in 1993 and well above the 0.95 meters best result by a humanoid in last year’s inaugural edition of the games. Both record-breaking robots were from Beijing-based X-Humanoid. Before the opening, a humanoid robot from Chinese smartphone company Honor completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds during a trial, at a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second.
Technology and Real-World Applications
The competitive robots use AI programming, dexterity, spatial awareness, and different types of sensors to mimic human behavior, allowing them to play football and table tennis as a team. The Scientific American newspaper described the games as being as ridiculous as it is impressive,
reporting that while running at record speeds, some robots came to a less graceful stop as they hit a cushioned wall or caught fire.
Outside of sporting competitions, humanoid robots with human-like arms and legs are utilized in industries such as automotives, logistics, security, and domestics. According to IDTechEx, humanoids have moved from demonstrations to working on production sites, performing established tasks like badge labelling, inspection, and material handling, with future roles including patrolling and surveillance.
Development trends include modular components for easy replaceability—allowing parts such as actuators, motors, and sensor modules to be efficiently repaired—alongside lightweight materials to reduce power consumption and increase agility. High-capacity batteries and regenerative braking mechanisms are also sought after to extend operating periods.
Geopolitical Context and Public Reaction
The games coincide with the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing, where companies showcased around 3,000 products. China manufactures the majority of the world’s humanoid robots, even as the United States ramps up scrutiny. Last month, the US Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots citing national security reasons. Additionally, the Pentagon added Unitree, a leading Chinese humanoid robot maker, to its list of companies deemed to have ties with the Chinese military, drawing a counter-response from Beijing.
Despite the technological milestones, experts note that humanoid robots remain mostly used for demonstrations, performances and research — at least for now — and it will still take time to achieve mass real-world deployment.
Spectators at the event expressed a mixture of awe and surprise. Li Yanfeng, an education worker and Beijing resident, noted that the robots are evolving rapidly. At first, I wasn’t very accepting of artificial intelligence. I was even a bit resistant to it, because of the possibility that it might replace or displace humans,
she said. But now that I see this development is unstoppable, I decided to come and take a look.
Another spectator, Yang Shangzheng, remarked, These sports are perfectly normal for humans, but now robots can do them. I find it amazing.