Chinese humanoid robot that beat Usain Bolt’s 100-meter sprint record does it again, but even faster

The race was part of the World Humanoid Robot Games, an Olympic-style competition in Beijing that showcases China’s rapid advances in robotics amid growing rivalry with the U.S.

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 Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot beat its own record of 9.39 seconds it had set just three days earlier at the event’s opening on Saturday.

Humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt's 100-meter record

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