A humanoid robot designed by the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor covered 100 meters in 9,32 seconds, erasing the world record of 9,58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009.
The robot, named Lightning, achieved this feat during a test in preparation for the second World Robot Games, the opening ceremony of which was held Saturday in Beijing. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that the machine reached a top speed of 14,5 meters per second during the event.
The record he breaks belongs to Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin. With 9,32 seconds, Lightning does 0,26 seconds better on the blue riband sprint distance.
This isn't the first time this robot has distinguished itself in endurance events. Last April, Lightning won the Beijing half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a time faster than the men's world record for the distance. At the time, the robot measured 169 centimeters tall with 95-centimeter legs. Researchers have since lengthened its lower limbs by ten centimeters, bringing their total length to 1,05 meters, in preparation for the World Robot Games.
These achievements are part of a broader industrial and political trend. China has officially designated humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, and both businesses and public policymakers are relying on advances in artificial intelligence and hardware to accelerate their deployment in manufacturing, logistics, and consumer applications.
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