Usain Bolt’s legendary 100m record has been standing for more than 17 years. Now, something very different has gone faster.
A Chinese humanoid robot named Tiangong Ultra has completed 100 meters in just 8.64 seconds, finishing almost a full second faster than Bolt’s famous 9.58-second human world record.
The remarkable performance came at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, an event that has quickly become one of the most unusual sporting competitions in the world.
The Robot Kept Getting Faster
Tiangong Ultra did not simply arrive and run 8.64 seconds.
The robot recorded 9.39 seconds in qualifying, then improved to 8.86 seconds in the semifinal before producing its stunning 8.64-second run in the final.
That rapid improvement has become one of the biggest talking points of this year’s competition.
For comparison, Bolt’s 9.58-second record was set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and remains the official men’s human world record.
More Than Just a Race
The event featured more than 2,000 robots from 666 teams, competing across 51 disciplines.
The robots weren’t only running. Competitions included football, jumping and various simulated industrial and emergency tasks.
The goal is also bigger than entertainment. Developers are using the games to test how artificial intelligence and robotics perform in the physical world.
Bolt’s Record Still Belongs to Bolt
There is an important distinction.
Tiangong Ultra has not officially broken the human 100m world record. It has simply run faster than that time in a robotic competition.
Bolt remains the fastest human ever recorded over 100 meters.
Still, seeing a humanoid machine run faster than the greatest sprinter in history is an incredible sign of how quickly robotics is developing.
The robots may not be ready to replace human athletes, but judging by that 8.64-second sprint, they are certainly getting faster.
Could a humanoid robot eventually break the eight-second barrier?
