The latest recording is proof of this remarkable feat. The video shows a robot achieving a staggering sprint speed of 10 meters per second during tests on a track field. But this is just the beginning as the company’s ambition is to break Usain Bolt’s record. Reaching a speed of 10 m/s (approximately 36 km/h) is an astounding accomplishment that dangerously approaches the world record set by Usain Bolt in 2009 – running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at an average speed of 10.44 meters per second. The Robot Unitree is now on the verge of matching this legendary achievement. Interestingly, at one point, the measuring device on the track even indicated a speed of 10.1 m/s, although the company remains cautious and suggests there may have been a slight measurement error.
To put the progress into perspective, just a year ago, the world record for full-size humanoids was a modest 3.3 m/s. The leap in performance achieved by Unitree over the past few months is truly unprecedented. The company has surpassed the renowned Atlas from Boston Dynamics, which moved at a speed of about 2.5 m/s. However, the company’s plans are even grander as they have announced that this year will witness their machines breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter sprint.
Unitree is not the only company aiming to turn their robots into true sprinters. The competition in China resembles a real Olympic contest for machines. In the World Humanoid Robot Games 2025, the Tien Kung Ultra model won the 100-meter race in 21.50 seconds, and last April, the same robot completed the world’s first humanoid half marathon in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Furthermore, in February of this year, the MirrorMe company unveiled the Bolt model, a 175 cm tall robot capable of reaching speeds of 10 m/s.
Moreover, on April 19th, the second edition of the Humanoid Robot Half Marathon will take place in Beijing, where over 70 teams conducted nighttime tests on tracks in the technological zone. Experts predict that the mass start of dozens of robots running side by side will be a sight that permanently alters our perception of robotics.
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