A Chinese humanoid robot sets a new 100-meter sprint record at Beijing Games

BEIJING -- A Chinese humanoid robot set a new 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing on Tuesday, beating its robot competitors — and the fastest recorded human time.

The race was part of China’s World Humanoid Robot Games, an Olympic-style competition now in its second year in Beijing. The event is also a showcase for China’s rapid advances in robotics amid an intensifying technology rivalry with the U.S.

The previous robot record of 9.39 seconds had been set just three days earlier, on Saturday.

For comparison, the men’s 100-meter world record is 9.58 seconds, set by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in 2009.

The record-breaking robot fell after crossing the finish line and crashing into a padded barrier, with sparks flying from its waist.

The Games features over 1,300 competitions include more than 2,000 robots in 51 events like running, long jump and table tennis, as well as ballroom dancing.

Unlike the traditional Olympics, the robots also compete in teams in real-world scenarios, including household tasks, hotel services and emergency response.

“'Housekeeper' and ‘caregiver’ robots are still in the pilot and validation phase,” China's official newspaper People's Daily said on Monday, “(but) challenges are precisely where the focus of development lies … China's robotics industry is evolving toward higher quality and innovation.”