Humanoid robot breaks Usain Bolt’s 100m world record at China event

A new generation of humanoid robots is showing just how quickly machines are moving beyond traditional demonstrations and into physical competition. 

At an event in China, several human-shaped machines competed in a 100-metre sprint, showcasing their speed and mobility before a live audience. The competition was part of a wider gathering focused on testing what these robots can do in situations that resemble both sports and everyday activities. 

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While human athletes have spent decades pushing the limits of sprinting, the latest contest offered a striking comparison between biological performance and robotic engineering. One machine managed to produce a time that would have been remarkable even by elite human standards.

Robot clocks 9.39 seconds in 100m sprint

The humanoid robot, developed by the Beijing Innovation Centre of Humanoid Robotics, completed the 100-metre distance in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in China.

That timing is faster than the human 100m world record held by eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt. Bolt set the record in 2009, when he completed the sprint in 9.58 seconds.

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The robot also finished ahead of two other humanoid machines that took part in the race, highlighting the growing focus on speed and physical performance in robot development.

Honour robot records 9.32 seconds in test

A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honour was also part of the competition. The company says its robot completed the 100-metre distance in 9.32 seconds during a test run.

That figure is even faster than the 9.39-second time recorded by the machine developed by the Beijing Innovation Centre at the event. However, the 9.32-second figure cited for the Honour robot was from a test run rather than the race itself.

The results show how humanoid robots are increasingly being designed to perform demanding physical movements rather than simply demonstrate basic mobility.

From sprinting to folding laundry

The robot games, which began on Saturday, are not limited to athletics. The event also features boxing and football, giving participating machines opportunities to demonstrate coordination and movement in different competitive settings.

Beyond sports, the games include practical household tasks such as folding laundry.

For viewers, the event offers a glimpse of how humanoid robots are being tested across both competitive and everyday activities, as developers explore how far these machines can replicate physical tasks traditionally performed by humans.