China’s humanoid robots have ​shown they can run quicker than the fastest humans.
Now comes the real test: can they also handle packaging ‌and warehouse operations while reliably performing precision tasks like connecting cables designed to evaluate their ability to work like humans in less flashy jobs?
The five-day World Humanoid Robot Games, which began Saturday in Beijing, combine events modelled on human sports with those designed to test the robots in simulated factories, restaurants, ​offices and in emergencies.
The games, heavily promoted in Chinese state media, feature 51 events, including 30 sports competitions and ​21 scenario-based contests. More than 40% require robots to operate fully autonomously, according to Huawei, a tech ⁠partner of the games.
On Saturday, two robots ran faster than Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record in the 100-meter sprint. That was a ​sharp improvement from 2025, when the winning robot’s time was more than 20 seconds. Braking was an issue, as the machines slammed into ​a thick mat that organizers placed several metres after the finish line.
Another humanoid, the same model as the 100-meter champion, ran 400 metres in 39.7 seconds, faster than South African Wayde van Niekerk’s world record of 43.03 seconds.
“The intensity is higher than last year, which places significant demands on the robot’s ​battery management and thermal dissipation capabilities,” said spectator and robotics investor Xu Qiaosheng.
“It holds huge significance for the development of China’s industrial ​sector.”
Robots will compete in tug-of-war and weightlifting, while Tai Chi and pitch-pot – in which contestants throw arrow-like sticks into a narrow-necked vase – will give traditional ‌Chinese ⁠sports a futuristic twist.