The five-day World Humanoid Robot Games took place in Beijing last month. The event included contests based on human sports. It also had challenges to see how robots could perform in places like factories, restaurants and offices.
Two robots ran faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record in the 100-metre sprint. That was better than 2025, when the winning robot’s time was more than 20 seconds. But the robots struggled to stop and slammed into a mat placed after the finish line.
Another humanoid ran 400 metres in 39.7 seconds. This is faster than South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk, who has the world record of 43.03 seconds.
Robots also competed in charging electric vehicles, working in restaurants and handling emergencies.
Hua Rong is the chief marketing officer at robotics firm Zeroth. She said the real test would be after the demonstrations: “The competition will be whether, after the product is sold, it can really solve users’ problems.”
