Honor's Lightning humanoid robot runs 100m in 9.32 seconds, beating Bolt's world record

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor reported that its self-developed humanoid robot Lightning completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory test event for the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. The time beats the men's world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

According to China Central Television, the robot reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second during the run. Lightning stands 169 centimeters tall, and researchers lengthened its legs by 10 centimeters to 105 centimeters following its victory in the 21-kilometer Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half-marathon in April.

In that April race, Lightning finished in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a pace faster than the elite men's human world-record pace for the half-marathon distance. The robot's performance in both events demonstrates rapid iteration in its locomotion hardware.

China has designated humanoid robotics as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies investing heavily in the expectation that advances in artificial intelligence and hardware will accelerate deployment in manufacturing, logistics, and consumer applications.

The World Humanoid Robot Games, which began on Saturday, feature competitions across multiple athletic disciplines designed to benchmark robotic mobility, manipulation, and endurance against human standards.

Lightning's 100-meter time was recorded during a test event rather than the main Games competition schedule. The result highlights progress in dynamic balance, power density, and real-time control for bipedal robots operating at high speeds.

Researchers have not disclosed the specific control algorithms, actuator specifications, or power systems enabling the performance. Independent verification of the timing methodology and surface conditions has not been reported.

The achievement represents a measurable milestone in humanoid robotics, showing that a bipedal machine can now exceed peak human sprint speed in a controlled setting, though the gap between laboratory demonstration and practical deployment remains significant.