Key Facts

• Tiangong Ultra robot completed 100 meters in 8.86 seconds, beating its previous time of 9.39 seconds.
• The robot’s time is faster than Usain Bolt’s human record of 9.58 seconds.
• The event took place at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing with over 2,000 robots competing.
• Tiangong had won last year’s race with a time of 21.50 seconds and the first humanoid robot half-marathon in 2 hours 40 minutes.
• The robot stopped by hitting a thick mat, which caused a small fire in its torso when it fell.
• Other Tiangong robot performances included beating human world records in 400 meters, 1,500 meters, and a high jump of 2.88 meters.
• The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center developed Tiangong and includes partners like Baidu and Xiaomi’s robotics unit.
• China considers humanoid robots important for industries like manufacturing and logistics.