Humanoid Robots Shatter Men’s 100m World Record in Beijing

Beijing — In a historic first for athletics and robotics, a humanoid robot has officially beaten the men’s 100-meter world record, crossing the finish line in under 9.58 seconds at a dedicated track event in Beijing on Thursday. The machine, developed by a Chinese robotics team, completed the sprint in a time that shaves a fraction of a second off Usain Bolt’s 2009 mark of 9.58 seconds, which had stood as the fastest human performance in history. Unlike traditional wheeled or four-legged robots, this humanoid model runs upright on two legs, mimicking human biomechanics. Its creators say the key was a new lightweight joint design and an AI-driven stride controller that adjusts step length and frequency in real time. The event was not sanctioned by World Athletics, the global governing body for track and field, meaning the time will not enter official human records. However, the achievement marks a major milestone in robotics engineering, demonstrating that two-legged machines can now outpace elite human sprinters over short distances. Spectators at the venue described the race as surreal, noting the robot’s mechanical but fluid gait as it pulled ahead of a reference pace line set to Bolt’s record. No human runners competed in the trial. The team behind the robot says the next goal is a full marathon, though they acknowledge that energy efficiency remains a major hurdle. For now, the 100m record serves as proof that the boundary between human and machine athletic capability is rapidly shifting.