Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot breaks 100m sprint record in Beijing

At the second World Humanoid Robot Games held in Beijing, the Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt’s 2009 world record of 9.58 seconds.

Developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center with support from companies including UBTech and Xiaomi, the Tiangong Ultra narrowly defeated a robot named Lightning, produced by Honor, which clocked in at 9.47 seconds. A third competitor from Unitree Robotics finished in 12.41 seconds.

The significant improvement in speed—down from 21.50 seconds in the previous year's competition—is attributed to engineering advancements in stride length and thermal management. However, technical challenges remain, as both top competitors struggled with deceleration and controlled stopping after crossing the finish line.