A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor completed a 100-metre sprint in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory test for the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.
The robot, named Lightning, reached a peak speed of 14.5 metres per second, surpassing the human world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Lightning stands 169 centimetres tall and previously won the Beijing half marathon in April with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds, which was faster than the elite men's human world-record pace for that distance.
Researchers lengthened the robot's legs by 10 centimetres to 1.05 metres before the World Humanoid Robot Games, CCTV reported.
The test event took place as the second World Humanoid Robot Games opened in Beijing on Saturday.
China has identified humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies investing in advances in artificial intelligence and hardware to accelerate deployment in manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications.
The performance was recorded during a preparatory test rather than the main competition events of the games.
No independent verification of the timing or conditions was cited in the state media report.
Usain Bolt’s 100m record broken at World Humanoid Robot Games
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