- H1 humanoid completes 1.9 km autonomous run in 4:13
- Average speed exceeds elite human middle-distance records
Unitree Robotics (宇树科技) said its H1 humanoid robot completed a 1.9-kilometer, multi-turn course in 4 minutes 13 seconds in an autonomous run during a Beijing humanoid robot half-marathon qualifying event, reaching an average speed of 7.51 meters per second.
The company published an official poster following the race, confirming that the 2023-upgraded H1 model completed the course without remote control or preset navigation, relying entirely on onboard sensors for perception, obstacle avoidance and decision-making.
The performance places its average pace above several benchmark human middle-distance records. The men’s 1500-meter world record, set by Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj in 1998, stands at 3:26 with an average speed of 7.28 m/s.
The mile record of 3:43.13 corresponds to 7.21 m/s, while the 2000-meter record of 4:43.13 equals 7.06 m/s—all below the robot’s reported pace.
Race organizers apply a 1.2x weighting factor for non-autonomous machines, reflecting higher difficulty for fully self-directed runs compared with remote-controlled operation. Unitree said H1 ran in full autonomous mode throughout the course, including tight turns and dynamic obstacles.
The result follows a recent test video released on April 11 showing the H1 reaching a peak speed of 10 m/s, approaching the human sprint record of 10.44 m/s set by Usain Bolt.
The company’s internal benchmarks show rapid progress: from 3.3 m/s at the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games in August to 7.51 m/s in eight months, more than doubling performance in average speed.
In the same Beijing event, another humanoid robot named “Lightning,” developed by smartphone brand Honor (荣耀), won the competition with a finishing time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds.
