Updated
Updated · Yahoo · Aug 23
Tiangong Ultra Runs 100 Meters in 9.39 Seconds at Beijing Robot Games
Updated
Updated · Yahoo · Aug 23

Tiangong Ultra Runs 100 Meters in 9.39 Seconds at Beijing Robot Games

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo · Aug 23

Summary

  • 9.39 seconds put Tiangong Ultra ahead of Honor's Lightning at 9.47 in a 100-meter preliminary heat at Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, a time faster than Usain Bolt's 9.58 human world record.
  • The sprint marked a sharp leap from Tiangong Ultra's 21.5-second winning time at last year's inaugural games, underscoring how quickly humanoid race performance is improving.
  • Commercial use still looks distant: several robots crashed into pads after finishing, and some needed human help to leave the track.
  • Beijing is using the Aug. 22-26 event to showcase thousands of robots across sports including soccer, table tennis and boxing, after a separate half-marathon also produced record-beating but crash-prone performances.

Insights

What hidden technological breakthroughs allowed these experimental machines to suddenly eclipse humanity's greatest athletic limits?
With machines now outrunning Usain Bolt, will robotic athletics eventually replace human sports as our primary entertainment?
Robots are shattering world sprint records, but why are so many catching fire before the finish line?