GoKawiilChinese-built robots Tiangong Ultra and Lightning clock sub-9.5-second 100m sprints in Beijing
At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, the bipedal robot Tiangong Ultra completed a 100-meter dash in 9.39 seconds during a preliminary heat, edging past Honor's Lightning robot at 9.47 seconds and beating Usain Bolt's 2009 human record of 9.58 seconds. Tiangong Ultra also posted a 400-meter time of 38.16 seconds, faster than Wayde van Niekerk's 2016 world record.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The event, now in its second year with over 2,000 robots from 16 countries competing in sprinting, football, boxing and more, signals rapid progress in bipedal locomotion engineering rather than a genuine athletic feat. It also highlights current limitations, since several robots crashed into padding at high speed and had to be carried off, showing the technology remains far from graceful or reliable outside controlled sprints.
- Tiangong Ultra ran 100m in 9.39 seconds, faster than Usain Bolt's human record of 9.58 seconds.
- The robot also broke the 400m world record with a time of 38.16 seconds.
- Over 2,000 humanoid robots from 16 countries competed at the Beijing games, though several crashed at high speed after finishing.
Robosen K1 Interstellar Scout Robot — If watching Tiangong Ultra sprint past Usain Bolt's record made you want a bipedal bot of your own, the Robosen K1 Interstellar Scout is a programmable humanoid that walks, transforms, and responds to voice commands. It's a fun hands-on way to explore the same balance-and-motion challenges the World Humanoid Robot Games contestants are tackling, and its app-based coding tools let you choreograph your own routines.
See Robosen K1 Interstellar Scout Robot on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: theverge.com — Jess Weatherbed, 2026-08-24
Published there as: “Humanoid robots smash Usain Bolt’s 100-meter record”
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