Chinese robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100m world record in test run

Science & TechnologyChinese robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m world record in test runBy Kumail Shah-Aug 22, 2026Add ARY News on GoogleAAResizeBEIJING: A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor ​ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds, China’s ‌state broadcaster reported on Saturday, beating the human world record held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt. The robot, ​dubbed Lightning, reached a peak speed of ​14.5 meters per second during a preparatory ⁠test event for the second World Humanoid ​Robot Games, which opened in Beijing on Saturday. The ​performance surpassed the 9.58-second men’s 100-meter world record set by Bolt at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin in ​2009. China has been promoting humanoid robots as ​a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies betting that ‌advances ⁠in AI and hardware will accelerate their deployment in manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications. READ MORE: World Humanoid Robot Games return to Beijing with over 2,000 entries Lightning also won the 21-km Beijing half marathon in April in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the elite men’s world record pace. The robot stood ​169 cm tall and had 95-cm ​legs ⁠at the half marathon. Researchers have since lengthened its legs by 10 cm to 1.05 meters ahead of the World Humanoid Robot ​Games, China Central Television reported. .post__content img .post__content img