Robot Shatters 100m Record: 8.64 Seconds at Beijing Games

The 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games closed on August 26 at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval “Ice Ribbon,” capping five days of competition with a stunning milestone: the TianGong Ultra robot, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won the 100-meter large-category final in 8.64 seconds — a full 0.94 seconds faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second human world record. The result marked the third record-breaking performance of the games for the robot, following 9.39 seconds in the opening preliminaries and 8.85 seconds in the semi-finals, according to Xinhua.

The TianXiao team finished second with 8.65 seconds, while the Fenghuo Lightning team took bronze with 8.83 seconds, as China News Service reported.

A Year of Exponential Progress

The leap from the inaugural games is staggering. In 2025, the best 100m time was 21.50 seconds — a robot that required remote control and ran at a pace humans could easily match on foot. One year later, robots are running fully autonomously, breaking human records across multiple disciplines. The 400m improved from 1:28.03 to 38.15 seconds in the large category, the 1500m dropped from 6:34.40 to 2:21.64, and the standing high jump soared from 0.956 meters to 3.40 meters, according to Phoenix News.

The competition drew 666 teams from 16 countries and regions across six continents, with 2,056 humanoid robot athletes competing in 51 events — 30 competitive and 21 scenario-based — across 1,301 matches, IT之家 reported. Over 100 robot models participated, with 157 domestic enterprises and 200 universities and research institutions fielding teams.

Engineering the Breakthrough

Guo Yijie, head of the Innovation Humanoid Division at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, explained the technical upgrades behind TianGong Ultra’s performance: “Compared to last year, TianGong Ultra has been upgraded in joint motors, configuration, and heat dissipation. Joint torque and speed have been significantly improved. Larger-power motors enhance athletic ability and explosive power, while lightweight and aerodynamic designs reduce resistance during high-speed running.” He added that development of the robot’s ‘cerebellum’ capabilities improved body control, with targeted training for rapid acceleration conducted for the 100m event, as IT之家 reported.

The robot features up to 42 degrees of freedom, with core joint torque upgraded from approximately 300 N-m to 800 N-m and heat dissipation efficiency improved by 30%. Just one month before the games, TianGong Ultra’s top speed was 7 m/s — requiring at least 14 seconds for 100m. Han Gang, motion control algorithm expert at the center, noted: “If given another month, it will be even faster.”

Beyond the Sprint: What the Games Really Test

The competition extends far beyond track events. Football upgraded from 3v3 to 5v5, and new events included long jump, weightlifting, tug-of-war, and table tennis. A dedicated dexterous hand event tests fine manipulation skills like powder weighing, tweezer bean-picking, and bottle cap opening. Scenario events cover industrial, logistics, hotel, home, and fire rescue applications.

Guo Yijie emphasized the practical significance: “Every competition event is closely related to future application scenarios. Dancing and cheerleading may seem unrelated to practical use, but they demonstrate the robot’s dynamic and stable capabilities — for future complex outdoor environments, like crossing difficult terrain or climbing, these abilities will be needed.”

One viral moment captured global attention: the “shy running” robot — TianGong Omni — which won the 400m small-category final in 45.66 seconds using an unusual posture with arms raised near its face. Han Gang explained that this was not for show: “The robot’s fast arm swinging creates high shoulder load and heat risk. The ‘shy run’ posture avoids these issues. TianGong Omni discovered this advantageous running style through autonomous learning.”

Industry Momentum and Commercialization

Shanghai-based Zhiyuan Robotics topped both the gold medal and overall medal tables in its first participation, winning 18 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze medals, as IT之家 reported. The closing ceremony also released the world’s first world-class humanoid robot games full dataset — over 2,500 hours of real-world operational data covering 12 application scenarios, 44 operations, over 100 skills, and more than 10,000 fine-grained tasks, free and open to the public.

Zhao Dongwei, deputy director of the organizing committee office and chairman of Beijing Beiao Group, said: “The World Humanoid Robot Games have had a positive promoting effect on robot companies and the industry. Fierce competition on the field forces the industry to deliver better hardware and better algorithms, accelerating technological iteration and enhancing the capabilities of the entire industry chain.”

China’s humanoid robot industry is surging. In the first half of 2026, shipments exceeded 40,000 units, accounting for 97% of global shipments, with Q1 exports growing 210% year-on-year, according to Xinhua Daily. The industry expects 100,000-200,000 units to be produced in China in 2026, and the consensus is that when annual shipments reach 100,000 units, BOM costs will drop dramatically — marking the commercialization inflection point.

A Measured Perspective

Not all observers see the sprint records as direct proof of practical utility. The New York Times noted that most robot sports achievements don’t directly translate to daily tasks. Prof. Michael Milford of Queensland University of Technology observed that “humanoid robots participating in most sports do not directly translate into practical value for the large number of daily tasks people want them to do.” Prof. Alan Fern of Oregon State University called the improvement from 24.73 seconds (2022 Guinness record) to 9.39 seconds a “tremendous achievement” but noted it reflects better hardware and control systems rather than major technological breakthroughs.

Xinhua’s commentary offered a balanced view: “Factory robots don’t need to win sprint races, and service robots don’t need medals. But every improvement in speed, stability, and precision on the field brings robots closer to being truly useful off the field.”

What’s Next

The 3rd World Humanoid Robot Games will be held in Beijing in August 2027. Meanwhile, the Ice Ribbon will be transformed into a permanent training base, and Beiao Group plans to build a 3,000-square-meter scenario training facility expected to be completed by the end of 2026. A “Robot into Schools” campaign was also launched, with 100 robots to be donated to educational institutions.

As Guo Yijie put it: “The progress of humanoid robots is no longer measured in years. There are obvious improvements and changes every month, and even new surprises every day.” The 8.64-second sprint may be just the beginning of what these machines can achieve.