A humanoid robot from the Chinese team X-Humanoid covered 100 metres in 9.39 seconds at the opening of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Another robot, built by Honor, clocked 9.32 seconds, according to Chinese state television.
On 22 August 2026, the opening ceremony of the second World Humanoid Robot Games featured several speed demonstrations. The reported times are faster than the men’s 100-metre world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt. However, these performances were achieved by humanoid robots and are not official human athletics records.
X-Humanoid robot runs the 100 metres in 9.39 seconds
At the opening ceremony in Beijing, a robot from the Chinese team X-Humanoid crossed the finish line after 9.39 seconds over 100 metres, according to information broadcast by Chinese state television.
The demonstration also exposed a practical problem: after their sprints, the robots ended their runs by crashing into a safety barrier. The sequence shows how difficult it is to stop humanoid machines moving at high speed.
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The result was achieved during a sporting demonstration and has not been officially validated under the rules of human athletics.
Honor’s Blitz robot clocks 9.32 seconds over 100 metres
Chinese smartphone maker Honor also presented a 9.32-second run over 100 metres, according to Chinese state television. This time, set before X-Humanoid’s run, is 0.07 seconds faster than the one reported for its rival.
Honor’s robot, named Blitz, had already taken part in an endurance event in April 2026. According to the reported results, it covered a half-marathon distance, about 21 kilometres, in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, faster than the human world record over that distance.
The two demonstrations highlight fast locomotion over different distances: short sprints and endurance running. They were not commercial presentations of the robots.
World Humanoid Robot Games: more than 2,000 robots expected across 51 events
The World Humanoid Robot Games are being held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, with competitions scheduled until 26 August 2026.
According to the organisers, this second edition is set to bring together more than 660 teams and more than 2,000 robots from 16 countries. Most of the teams are Chinese and represent companies or universities.
The programme includes 51 events, split between sporting competitions and simulations of practical situations:
- Athletics: running, long jump and weightlifting.
- Team and individual sports: football and table tennis.
- Household applications: carrying out domestic chores.
- Professional applications: rescue operations and work on production lines.
These events let teams show their robots in a range of settings, from speed competitions to manipulation tasks linked to everyday and industrial activities.
China mobilises companies and universities around humanoid robotics
The Chinese government has designated embodied artificial intelligence, which combines AI systems with machines able to interact physically with their surroundings, as an industry of the future.
This policy is backed by significant investment from Chinese companies and universities in the research and construction of humanoid robots.
The predominance of Chinese teams at the World Humanoid Robot Games reflects this industrial and academic mobilisation. The manufacturing, rescue and household events complement the sporting demonstrations by showing potential uses for these machines in professional and everyday environments.