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Humanoid Robots Break Human Sprint Records at Beijing Games

Science8 sourcesAug 24, 2026
FlatRigor 468 sources

The Story

A robot's face-covering sprint at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games was spontaneous and not designed by its developers. Humanoid robots set new records at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, which opened on Saturday for a five-day run. The Tien Kung Ultra robot, developed by Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics Co., finished the 100-meter preliminary heat on Saturday in 9.32 seconds. This time beat the 9.58-second world record set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt in Berlin in 2009. The same humanoid model clocked 38.15 seconds in the 400-meter final on Sunday, surpassing the 43.03-second world record logged by South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. After completing the 100-meter race, the Tien Kung Ultra machine crashed into a mat set up for deceleration and caught fire. Over 2,000 humanoid robots, fielded by more than 660 teams from 16 countries, are participating in the event. The games showcase rapid advances in artificial intelligence-driven robotics technology. Robots also competed in boxing, football, and sprinting. One Chinese robot traded forehands and backhands with human players during singles and mixed-doubles demonstrations in tennis. Another Chinese robot rallied with Olympic champion Ding Ning. Humanoid robots walked in formation during the opening ceremony of the second World Humanoid Robot Games.

The Spread

What they agree on

  • Humanoid robots competed in the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, which began on Saturday for a five-day run.
  • A Chinese humanoid robot, the Tien Kung Ultra, beat human world records in both the 100-meter and 400-meter sprint races.
  • The Tien Kung Ultra robot completed the 100-meter preliminary heat in 9.32 seconds, surpassing Usain Bolt's record.
  • The same humanoid model achieved 38.15 seconds in the 400-meter final, faster than Wayde van Niekerk's record.
  • Over 2,000 humanoid robots from more than 660 teams representing 16 countries are participating in the event.

Where they split

  • Global Times leads with a specific detail about a robot's "face-covering" sprint being spontaneous, while Semafor and AP News focus on the robots beating human records and setting new records.
  • Kyodo News provides specific times for the 100-meter and 400-meter records and names the human record holders, Usain Bolt and Wayde van Niekerk, while other outlets offer more general statements about records being broken.
  • South China Morning Post and Global Times highlight robots competing in tennis and rallying with Olympic champion Ding Ning, a detail not emphasized by other sources.

Source Perspectives

Center7 sources
Right1 source