Lightning beats Bolt with 9.47s 100m at World Humanoid Robot Games

Lightning completed the 100 metres in 9.47 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, beating Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record. Bolt set that mark at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, and it had remained unbeaten for 17 years.

The performance came in a preliminary heat on Saturday, although Lightning did not finish as the quickest robot in the race. Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, passed it near the line and won in 9.39 seconds after spending most of the heat behind its rival.

Lightning was developed by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor. The machine is 1.69 metres tall, while its legs were extended from 95 centimetres to 1.05 metres before the competition. It had previously appeared in a half-marathon in April, and the longer legs were among the changes made to improve its sprinting performance.

The robot has also been credited with a 9.32-second time in a test run. During the Beijing race, however, Lightning and Tiangong both needed a large mat beyond the finish to stop. Tiangong veered towards the sidelines as it slowed, causing spectators to move away from its path.

The 100m is one of 51 events at the games, which run from August 22 to 26. The programme also features football, dancing and industrial challenges, including screw-tightening contests. More than 2,000 robots representing over 600 teams are taking part.

Lightning’s time belongs to the humanoid robot competition rather than the recognised athletics record system. World Athletics has shown no indication that it will treat the run as a human 100m record, but the result remains a notable benchmark for the machines competing in Beijing.