“Lightning,” a humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor, has beaten Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt’s world record in the 100 metres, clocking 9.32 seconds compared with Bolt’s 9.58.
The robot achieved the feat on Saturday (August 22) during a trial run held ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
Bolt set the 100m world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin. Lightning’s time was 0.26 seconds faster than Bolt’s record. However, the robot’s 9.32-second performance was recorded during a preparatory trial and does not count as an official result from the main competition.
Lightning reached a top speed of 14.5 metres per second during the trial, equivalent to around 52 kilometres per hour. Its leg length was also modified before the race to improve its speed and balance.
This is not Lightning’s first major achievement. In April, the robot took part in a 21-kilometre half-marathon in Beijing and finished first in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. That time was also faster than the human world record for the half-marathon.
Lightning stood 169 centimetres tall and had a leg length of 95 centimetres when it competed in the half-marathon. Researchers later increased its leg length by 10 centimetres to 1.05 metres as part of preparations for the sprint. Their aim was to further improve the robot’s speed and stability.
Meanwhile, the World Humanoid Robot Games are being held in Beijing for the second time. The five-day event features humanoid robots competing in a range of disciplines, including running, football, table tennis, weightlifting and tug-of-war.
Another Chinese humanoid robot also beat Bolt’s 9.58-second human record in the official 100m event, recording a time of 9.39 seconds. At the same competition, another robot cleared 2.88 metres in the standing high jump, surpassing the human record as well.
China has identified humanoid robotics as a strategically important technology sector. The country aims to use advances in artificial intelligence, advanced hardware and automation to expand the use of humanoid robots in manufacturing, logistics and other commercial applications.
Experts, however, say that despite rapid advances in robots’ speed and capabilities, the technology has yet to reach the stage of widespread real-world adoption. At present, many humanoid robots are still primarily being used for research, demonstrations and controlled experimental applications.
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