Chinese humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100-meter record in test run

A Chinese humanoid robot named “Lightning” has set a new 100-meter sprint record, clocking 9.32 seconds in a test ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games, surpassing Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt’s human world record of 9.58 seconds, CGTN reported on Saturday.

According to Chinese smart-device maker Honor, the robot reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second, demonstrating high-speed running capabilities ahead of the five-day competition in Beijing.

Lightning is expected to compete in the 100-meter, 400-meter and 1,500-meter events at the games, which run from Aug. 22 to 26.

The event will feature humanoid robots competing in a range of sports, including long jump, weightlifting and table tennis, as teams from around the world showcase advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Bolt’s 9.58-second record, set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, remains the official human world record recognized by World Athletics. The robot’s reported time is therefore not directly comparable as an athletic world record under human sporting rules.