A humanoid robot named Lightning has beaten the human world record for the 100-meter sprint at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Developed by the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, the robot completed the race in 9.32 seconds.
The performance surpasses the 9.58-second men’s world record set by Usain Bolt 17 years ago at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin. During the trial race, Lightning reached a peak speed of 14.5 metres per second.
The record was set on the opening day of the Olympics-like event. This achievement highlights rapid technological progress, as humanoid robots struggled to finish a race only one year ago.