Chinese Humanoid Robots Break Human World Records
Chinese humanoid robots have surpassed records previously established by humans, including eclipsing Usain Bolt’s world record in the 100-meter sprint, during the inaugural day of the Olympics-style World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing. According to the organiser, over 2,000 humanoid robots were engaged in the event. The five-day games, now in its second year, serve as a spectacle illustrating China’s swift advancements in advanced robotics amid an intensifying technological rivalry with the U.S. This event features 51 events and over 1,000 competitions, encompassing disciplines such as running, table tennis and soccer. The games, occurring in the National Speed Skating Oval constructed for the 2022 Winter Olympics, commenced concurrently with Beijing’s hosting of the 2026 World Robot Conference, where firms presented approximately 3,000 products, inclusive of humanoid robots. China produces the largest share of humanoid robots globally. The U.S. has increased its examination of robots originating from the country.
Last month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission declared a prohibition on the importation of new foreign-manufactured humanoid robots. The FCC invoked national security considerations in a decision aimed at China. The Pentagon has recently included Unitree, a prominent Chinese manufacturer of humanoid robots, on its roster of companies identified as having connections to the Chinese military. Beijing has responded to the allegations. At Saturday’s opening of the robot games, the organiser and robot makers announced that Chinese humanoid robots surpassed human world records, as hundreds of humanoid robots paraded in formation onto the pitch in a remarkable exhibition of synchronised coordination. In a 100-meter sprint, a humanoid robot recorded a time of 9.39 seconds, surpassing the human record of 9.58 seconds established by Jamaican athlete Bolt in 2009. In a standing high jump, a humanoid robot achieved a height of 2.88 meters, significantly surpassing the previous best result of 0.95 meters recorded by a humanoid in the inaugural edition of the games last year.
It exceeded the human high jump record of 2.45 meters established by Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor in 1993. Both robots originated from X-Humanoid, a company based in Beijing. Before the opening, a humanoid robot from Chinese smartphone company Honour completed a 100-meter sprint in a record time of 9.32 seconds during a trial of the games, as reported by the company, achieving a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second. Experts indicate that humanoid robots are predominantly utilised for demonstrations, performances, and research at this stage. It is anticipated that significant time will be required before achieving widespread real-world deployment. Some spectators at the robot games expressed enthusiasm regarding the rapid advancements in the capabilities of humanoid robots. Humanoid robots are “evolving rapidly,” remarked Li Yanfeng.
“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.” And “These sports are perfectly normal for humans, but now robots can do them. I find it amazing,” said Yang Shangzheng, another spectator. Liu Tao, observing the competitions alongside his son, expressed his anticipation to witness “the best robots China currently has to offer.” This year’s robot games, featuring participation from 16 countries including Germany, Japan, and the U.S., also encompass additional events such as weightlifting and tug of war.
