Chinese Humanoid Robots Break Records at World Humanoid Robot Games

Chinese humanoid robots outperformed human records, including Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint record, at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. The event saw participation from over 2,000 humanoid robots. Robots showcased their skills during the opening ceremony with a drum performance.

The five-day event, now in its second year, reflects China’s advances in robotics amidst technological competition with the U.S. The games feature 51 events and over 1,000 competitions such as running, table tennis, and soccer, held at the National Speed Skating Oval, originally built for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Coinciding with the World Humanoid Robot Games, Beijing hosted the 2026 World Robot Conference, where companies exhibited about 3,000 products, including humanoid robots. China remains a leading producer of humanoid robots, although the U.S. has increased scrutiny over imports from China. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission recently banned imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots, citing national security, specifically targeting China. The Pentagon also included Unitree, a prominent Chinese robot maker, on a list of companies supposedly linked with the Chinese military.

During the games’ opening, organizers and robot manufacturers noted that Chinese humanoid robots surpassed human world records. Hundreds of robots demonstrated exceptional synchronization skills. A humanoid robot clocked a 9.39-second time in the 100-meter sprint, breaking Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second record from 2009. Another robot achieved a standing high jump of 2.88 meters, surpassing the previous 0.95 meters record set last year and exceeding Javier Sotomayor’s 1993 human record of 2.45 meters. Both records belong to robots from Beijing-based X-Humanoid.

Before the event, an Honor brand humanoid robot completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.32 seconds, reaching a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second, according to the company. Despite these feats, experts believe that humanoid robots remain largely limited to demonstrations, performances, and research, with widespread real-world applications still in development.

Some event attendees expressed enthusiasm over the robots’ evolving capabilities. Li Yanfeng, an education worker, admitted initial skepticism about artificial intelligence but acknowledged its unstoppable development. “These sports are normal for humans, but now robots can do them,” remarked Yang Shangzheng, another spectator.

The games this year also feature events like weightlifting and tug of war, attracting participants from 16 countries, including Germany, Japan, and the U.S.