- Company says robot run, clocked at 10 m/s, nears elite human sprint speeds
- Event seen as prelude to world’s first humanoid half marathon race
Chinese robotics firm Unitree Robotics (宇树科技) said its H1 humanoid robot has reached a peak running speed of 10 meters per second in tests, setting what it called a new global benchmark for humanoid sprint performance and narrowing the gap with elite human athletes.
The result on April 11 places the robot close to the top recorded human sprint speed of legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who reached a peak velocity of about 10.44 meters per second at his world record 100-meter run, underscoring rapid advances in humanoid locomotion.
Unitree’s founder Wang Xingxing had dropped hints in late March that several humanoid robots in development could eventually outperform human runners in endurance and speed, including the possibility of completing an upcoming half marathon in under one hour.
The H1 model, introduced in 2023, stands 1.8 meters tall and weighs about 62 kilograms, making it the largest humanoid robot in Unitree’s lineup.
The company’s latest tests are widely seen as a prelude to an upcoming humanoid half marathon scheduled for April 19 in Beijing’s Yizhuang development zone, organized by the Beijing municipal government and China Media Group.
A full-system rehearsal was completed between the night of April 11 and early April 12, according to official statements.
More than 70 teams participated in the test event, including four international entrants, with both autonomous navigation and remotely controlled robots running the night course.
The drill simulated full race conditions, including course navigation, logistics coordination, equipment interoperability and emergency response scenarios, as organizers aim to ensure operational readiness for the much-anticipated competition.
