Chinese humanoid robot Lightning breaks Usain Bolt's 100-meter record

Robotics is advancing at the speed of light, as Chinese engineers proved once again at the second edition of the World Humanoid Robot Games. The event, held at the Olympic Hall in Beijing, brought a new milestone in athletics. A robot called X-Humanoid Lightning, created by X-Humanoid, ran the 100-meter distance in 9.39 seconds. This improved the time of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009 by almost two tenths. An even faster time was achieved in the test by a robot manufactured by Honor, which covered the distance in just 9.32 seconds at a top speed of 14.5 meters per second.

While these achievements are impressive, they raise questions about the actual practical utility of current models. Unlike humans, these machines lack a developed system for safely stopping. Immediately after crossing the finish line, they must literally crash into a padded blue wall and then be carried away on a stretcher by staff. Many fundamental engineering challenges will need to be resolved before we see these robots in everyday life.

In addition to running, the robots competed in the high jump, with one competitor jumping 2.88 meters (288 cm). This is a significant improvement over last year's record of 0.95 meters (95 cm) and higher than Javier Sotomayor's 1993 human record of 2.45 meters (245 cm). The five-day event features more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries, including Germany, Japan and the United States, competing in 51 different disciplines, including soccer, table tennis, weightlifting and tug-of-war. The World Robot Conference was also held in Beijing that same week, with around 3,000 products on display.

China's rapid development in robotics is also raising political tensions. The United States has tightened controls on imports. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under President Donald Trump has banned the import of new foreign humanoid robots, saying they pose a risk to national security and the safety of American citizens. Despite geopolitical tensions and initial concerns from some viewers, attendees at the event acknowledge that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and robotics has become an unstoppable process.