BEIJING, AUGUST 23: Humanoid robotics achieved a major benchmark at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing as competing machines clocked times faster than the world’s elite human sprinters during the opening leg of the World Humanoid Robot Games. Leading the field, the Tiangong Ultra humanoid recorded a 9.39-second finish in the 100-meter event, edging out rival model Lightning, which crossed the line in 9.47 seconds.
The international gathering features more than 2,000 robotic competitors representing hundreds of research teams across 16 countries, competing across 51 diverse disciplines ranging from athletic track contests to industrial automation tasks. Officials affirmed that structural modifications, including enhanced limb lengths and refined motor control algorithms, have driven significant performance gains across both short sprints and endurance events over the past year.
