Humanoid robot outruns Usain Bolt record as China races ahead

If your mental image of a humanoid robot still involves stiff knees and awkward demos, you may want to update it.

A Chinese humanoid robot has now covered 100 meters faster than Usain Bolt's 9.58-second human world record.

At the opening of Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, an X-Humanoid robot completed the 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds.

Then the number dropped again.

X-Humanoid announced on Aug.

25 that TianGong Ultra ultimately posted a 9.32-second time during the competition.

The company says its robots reset the mark several times during roughly two hours of racing.

Before anybody starts rewriting the Olympic record books, keep some perspective.

Bolt still holds the official men's 100-meter world record recognized by World Athletics.

These robots compete under their own rules in a separate event.

CHINESE ROBOT BREAKS HUMAN WORLD RECORD IN BEIJING HALF-MARATHON Still, look at how quickly this technology is moving.

For me, the bigger story goes far beyond a robot beating Bolt's time.

We are watching humanoid machines go from clumsy demonstrations to increasingly capable physical systems at remarkable speed.

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