Chinese robot Lightning breaks Usain Bolt's 100-meter world record
The humanoid robot Lightning from smartphone manufacturer Honor completed the 100-meter dash in 9.32 seconds, reaching a top speed of 14.5 m/s. The feat was demonstrated during a preparatory event for the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
Has the era of robots faster than humans arrived? A Chinese-made humanoid robot has managed to break the human world record in the 100-meter dash — at least within the framework of a technological experiment.
The robot Lightning, developed by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, completed a 100-meter run in 9.32 seconds — faster than Usain Bolt's world record, which has stood at 9.58 seconds since 2009.
According to the report, the robot reached a top speed of 14.5 meters per second during the run. The performance took place at a preparatory event for the second World Humanoid Robot Games, which are being held in Beijing.
This achievement joins a series of breakthroughs in the field of Chinese robotics. Earlier this year, the Lightning robot already gained attention after participating in a half-marathon in Beijing and displaying advanced running capabilities.
In recent years, China has been investing significant resources in the development of humanoid robots as part of a global technological competition aimed at moving robots from research laboratories to practical applications in industry, logistics, and other fields.
However, experts point out that impressive athletic achievements do not necessarily indicate an ability to perform complex tasks in the real world, where robots are required to have autonomy, safety, and the ability to deal with a changing environment.
