China’s New Robot Outruns Usain Bolt—Just in Time for Its $9 Billion IPO

Chinese robotics firm Unitree has unveiled a humanoid robot it claims can outrun the fastest man in history, just days before its stock market debut. The company, set to go public in Shanghai on Wednesday at a $9 billion valuation, said on Monday that its new “Superman” robot can reach a top speed of 12.66 meters per second. That is faster than Usain Bolt’s world-record pace of about 12.4 meters per second during his 100-meter sprint in 2009. Bolt took 9.58 seconds to finish that race. Unitree says Superman could cover the same distance in 7.90 seconds if it maintained its top speed. The robot can also jump two meters vertically, beating the human world record for a standing high jump, according to the company. Superman was developed in just three months, Unitree said. Its design is less polished than the company’s flagship G1 android, which performed backflips and kung-fu at China’s Spring Festival gala earlier this year. But the new robot is the latest sign of how quickly China’s robotics industry is advancing. Unitree shipped nearly 6,000 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026, according to business intelligence firm Smart Analytics Global. Its products range from the $13,500 dancing G1 to the $650,000 GD01, a giant mecha that can smash through walls and transform into a four-legged vehicle. The global market for humanoid robots could be worth $7.5 trillion by 2050, according to Morgan Stanley analysts. Unitree and its Chinese rivals currently dominate the field. US competitors are still far from mass production. Tesla’s Optimus robot, which Elon Musk has said will cost around $25,000, is expected to enter production by the end of 2026. Several other US startups plan limited customer deliveries this year. American buyers hoping to get a Unitree Superman may be out of luck. Last month, the Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on some new foreign-made advanced robots. US robotics founders have warned the move could hurt their ability to compete with Chinese firms like Unitree.