Chinese scientists have developed a robot that can outrun Usain Bolt.
An incredible video shows the prototype, nicknamed ‘Superman’, reaching speeds of 12.66 meters per second (28.3 mph) as it races around a track.
By comparison, sprint champion Usain Bolt achieved a speed of 12.42 meters per second (27.78 mph) when he set the world record at the 2009 World Athletics Championships.
The robot was designed by Unitree, a Hangzhou-based Chinese robotics company best known for developing high-performance robot dogs and humanoid robots. robots.
In a separate part of the video you can see how the machine jumps from a standstill no less than two meters vertically into the air.
This also beats the current human world record, set by American Christopher Spell in 2021, of 1.7 meters (5ft 7 in) from a standing jump.
The company shared the video on X and wrote: ‘Unitree new robot preview: “Superman” breaks the boundaries of humanity.
‘This new machine has only been in development for just over three months and there is still plenty of room for further improvement in the coming months.’
An incredible video shows the prototype, nicknamed ‘Superman’, reaching speeds of 12.66 meters per second (28.3 mph) as it races around a track
The spectacular demonstrations appear to be designed to showcase the robot’s raw physical capabilities, rather than any practical task it could currently perform.
However, the video is just a company demonstration and the impressive sprint and jump claims have not yet been independently verified.
The robot, which has been developed incredibly quickly, has a reported leg length of just 0.85 meters (2.8 ft).
This makes the speed achieved particularly striking given the robot’s relatively short stride.
While the video is impressive, some people online also found it funny.
One person commented, “That’s probably the weirdest running I’ve ever seen,” while another said, “He’s running like an idiot.”
Someone else joked: ‘School sports days will never be the same again.’
However, others seemed to be dazzled by the display, with one person writing: ‘If hardware continues to improve at this rate, humanoid robots will be capable of some seriously impressive things very soon.’
The machine, which is said to have been developed incredibly quickly, has a reported leg length of just 0.85 meters (2.8 feet). This makes the speed achieved particularly striking given the robot’s relatively short stride
The team says their robot could beat Usain Bolt. Pictured: Bolt wins the men’s 100 meters final of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Championships
In a separate part of the video you can see how the machine appears to jump vertically into the air from a standstill as much as two meters
Unitree has not yet published a full set of technical specifications for the Superman, including its height, weight, battery capacity or how many times the speed and jump tests were repeated.
The new machine succeeds Unitree’s earlier humanoid H1, which also made headlines for its walking ability after reaching a speed of 10 meters per second (22.3 mph) in an earlier demonstration.
That robot currently costs $13,500 (£9,980).
Ma Jihua, a veteran technology industry analyst, told the Global times that such extreme performance tests essentially serve as “stress tests” for a robot’s underlying hardware and software coordination.
It pushes abilities such as running, jumping, explosive power and balance control to their limits to determine the performance limits of the system.
Like extreme testing in vehicle or aircraft development, it is essential to understand where those limits lie before a robot can be reliably linked to real-world applications, Mr. Jihua said.
Mastering highly dynamic movements could eventually help humanoids operate in difficult terrain, disaster zones, and other dangerous or challenging situations.
Earlier this month, Unitree said it had produced about 18,000 humanoid robots, excluding other humanoid and wheeled designs.
Last monthimages emerged from China showing two humanoid robots battling it out in a mixed martial arts (MMA) battle.
The fight took place in Shenzhen and saw two robots go head-to-head in a cage as hundreds of spectators watched.
In one particularly shocking moment, one of the robots had its head completely kicked off, but continued to fight.
On Reddit, one viewer said, “Finally we have Real Steel,” comparing it to the 2011 blockbuster.
Another warned: “We are training the next generation of life forms on Earth how to defeat us. Poetic.’
