Chinese Robot Breaks Usain Bolt's 100-Meter World Record

In an achievement that reflects the accelerating development of human-like robotics, the Chinese robot “Lightning” completed a 100-meter sprint in a time that surpassed the world record held by humans, according to China’s state broadcaster, which reported on Saturday.

The broadcaster noted that “Lightning,” developed by Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oneplus, ran the 100 meters in 9.32 seconds, outpacing the men’s world record of 9.58 seconds set by Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

During a preparatory test for the second Humanoid Robot Games, which kicked off on Saturday, the robot reached a top speed of 14.5 meters per second.

This performance came ahead of the competitions, after “Lightning” recorded a time 0.26 seconds faster than the men’s 100-meter world record.