RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesIf your mental image of a humanoid robot still involves stiff knees and awkward demos, you may want to update it. A Chinese humanoid robot has now covered 100 meters faster than Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human world record. At the opening of Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, an X-Humanoid robot completed the 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds. Then the number dropped again.
X-Humanoid announced on Aug. 25 that TianGong Ultra ultimately posted a 9.32-second time during the competition. The company says its robots reset the mark several times during roughly two hours of racing. Before anybody starts rewriting the Olympic record books, keep some perspective. Bolt still holds the official men's 100-meter world record recognized by World Athletics. These robots compete under their own rules in a separate event.
CHINESE ROBOT BREAKS HUMAN WORLD RECORD IN BEIJING HALF-MARATHON
Still, look at how quickly this technology is moving. For me, the bigger story goes far beyond a robot beating Bolt's time. We are watching humanoid machines go from clumsy demonstrations to increasingly capable physical systems at remarkable speed.
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The second World Humanoid Robot Games opened Aug. 22 at Beijing's National Speed Skating Oval, known as the Ice Ribbon, and ran through Aug. 26. Organizers registered 666 teams and 2,056 robots for this year's event. The competition included 51 events and 1,301 competition sessions.
The robots compete in track and field events along with challenges designed around real-world jobs. Organizers have also added tests involving physical skills such as weightlifting and tug of war.
That mix tells you something about what China wants these machines to become. The Games give developers a place to push speed and strength. They also expose weaknesses that can be harder to see in a carefully edited demonstration video.
The first number that grabbed worldwide attention was 9.39 seconds. That was already quicker than Bolt's 9.58-second human record from 2009. The comparison spread fast because almost everyone understands what a 100-meter sprint represents. Then X-Humanoid released its updated results.
The company says TianGong Ultra eventually reached 9.32 seconds, while other X-Humanoid teams recorded times of 9.34, 9.38 and 9.39 seconds. The exact comparison with Bolt needs context. These robots do not start, run or stop under the same conditions as human Olympic athletes.
However, that does not make the improvement meaningless. A humanoid staying upright at that speed requires serious coordination between its motors, balance system, sensors and software. All of those pieces have to work together while the machine continuously adjusts its body. That is what catches my attention.
The rate of improvement becomes even clearer when you look back only one year. At the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games in 2025, the winning 100-meter robot finished in 21.50 seconds.
Now robots from the same development ecosystem are running the distance in less than 10 seconds. That is an enormous leap in a short period. We have already been following this acceleration at CyberGuy. Earlier this year, we showed you a Chinese humanoid called Bolt that reached 22 mph during testing. Running fast looks impressive on video. Yet the technology underneath that speed could become useful in places far removed from a racetrack.
Running was only part of the show. An X-Humanoid robot reached 2.88 meters, or about 9 feet 5 inches, in a standing high jump. That height exceeds the recognized men's high jump world record of 2.45 meters, or about 8 feet, set by Cuba's Javier Sotomayor in 1993. Again, we need context.
Sotomayor's world record came from a conventional high jump with a running approach. The robot competed in a standing high jump. Those events use very different mechanics. So the robot did not erase Sotomayor from the record books. What it did demonstrate was impressive explosive power and body control from a humanoid machine. Those capabilities could eventually translate into something far more useful than clearing a bar.
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A fast humanoid robot does not need to become a track star to become valuable. Better mobility could help a robot move through a disaster area where sending a person could be dangerous. A machine that stays balanced while carrying equipment could eventually handle physically demanding jobs. Then you start thinking about environments where people would rather avoid going altogether.
That brings us to the part of this story that deserves much more attention. One developer at the Games believes humanoid robot soldiers could arrive within the next decade.
Robotics engineer Yang Kun, who works for Shanghai-based humanoid robotics company AG BOT, says that he believes Chinese companies could be only five to 10 years away from robot soldiers. His company's A3 humanoid competed in kickboxing at the Games. Yang described military and combat use as part of where he believes humanoid robotics could eventually go. That prediction deserves context. This comes from one developer. It does not represent an announced Chinese government timetable for deploying humanoid soldiers. I would not take five to 10 years as gospel.
Technology forecasts can move quick...
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