A Chinese humanoid robot named Lightning has reportedly run the 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record.
According to Al Jazeera English, citing China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Lightning achieved the feat during a preparatory test ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
The robot reportedly reached a peak speed of 14.5 metres per second, completing the distance faster than Bolt’s record time of 9.58 seconds, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Lightning’s reported performance comes as China intensifies efforts to develop humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with companies and policymakers targeting applications in manufacturing, logistics and consumer services.
The robot has also demonstrated remarkable endurance. In April, Lightning reportedly won a 21-kilometre Beijing half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a time faster than the pace of the men’s human world record over the distance.
Standing 1.69 metres tall, Lightning initially had legs measuring 95 centimetres. Researchers later extended the robot’s legs by 10 centimetres to 1.05 metres ahead of the humanoid robot games.
The reported 100-metre performance highlights the rapid progress in robotic mobility and China’s growing ambition to develop humanoid machines capable of performing increasingly sophisticated physical tasks.
