Honor Robot Lightning Breaks Human 100m World Record

A humanoid robot named Lightning, developed by the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor, ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory test event in Beijing. This performance surpasses the human world record of 9.58 seconds set by Usain Bolt in 2009.

The test occurred on Saturday during the opening of the second World Humanoid Robot Games, where Lightning reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second. To optimize the robot for the competition, researchers increased its leg length from 95 centimeters to 1.05 meters.

This sprint follows a previous achievement in April, when the robot won the 21km Beijing half marathon with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. The development of Lightning is part of a broader strategic push by the Chinese government to advance humanoid robotics for applications in manufacturing, logistics, and consumer markets.