China’s robot breaks human high jump record

Chinese humanoid robots broke several human sporting records, including Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt’s 100-metre world record, at the opening of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday.

More than 2,000 humanoid robots are taking part in the five-day event, which features 51 disciplines and more than 1,000 competitions, including athletics, table tennis, soccer, weightlifting and tug-of-war.

The games, now in their second year, are being held at the National Speed Skating Oval, a venue built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The event is showcasing China’s rapid advances in humanoid robotics as competition in the sector intensifies between China and the United States.

At the opening ceremony, hundreds of humanoid robots marched onto the field in synchronized formations, highlighting their increasingly sophisticated coordination.

A humanoid robot developed by Beijing-based X-Humanoid completed the 100-metre sprint in 9.39 seconds, beating Bolt’s human world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009.

Another X-Humanoid robot cleared 2.88 metres in the standing high jump, far exceeding the 0.95-metre mark recorded by a humanoid robot at last year’s inaugural games. The performance also surpassed the human world record of 2.45 metres set by Cuban athlete Javier Sotomayor in 1993.

A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor had earlier completed a 100-metre trial in 9.32 seconds, reaching a top speed of 14.5 metres per second, according to the company.

The games are being held alongside the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing, where companies displayed around 3,000 robotic products.

China currently accounts for a large share of global humanoid robot production. The rapid development has also raised concerns in the United States, which has increased scrutiny of Chinese robotics companies on national security grounds.

Despite the impressive performances, experts say humanoid robots remain largely limited to demonstrations, entertainment and research, with widespread real-world use still some way off.

The event has nevertheless attracted strong public interest. Spectators expressed amazement at the robots’ rapidly improving abilities, while some said they were curious to see the latest technology developed by Chinese companies.

Organisers said robots and teams from 16 countries, including Germany, Japan and the United States, are participating in this year’s games.