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China’s humanoid robots smash 100-meter record in 8.64 seconds

8/27/2026

50 11 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

China’s X-Humanoid robot set a 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing on Aug 25, 2026.
A second Chinese humanoid robot ran 100 meters in 8.64 seconds on Aug 26, 2026, breaking the previous record.
Both robots fell after the finish, with one’s waist catching fire and sparks flying.
UCLA professor Dennis Hong said the speed milestone is significant for bipedal robotics.

History

Historical Context

Boston Dynamics unveiled the DARPA-backed Atlas biped on July 11 2013, then saw it finish the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge in 50 minutes 26 seconds and perform parkour videos in 2018-2019. Building on those milestones, China’s X-Humanoid robots recently sprinted 100 m in under 9 seconds in Beijing, spurring regulators to revisit safety rules first raised after Atlas’s early demos.

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Story summary

China’s X-Humanoid robot set a 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing on Aug 25, 2026.
A second Chinese humanoid robot ran 100 meters in 8.64 seconds on Aug 26, 2026, breaking the previous record.
Both robots fell after the finish, with one’s waist catching fire and sparks flying.
UCLA professor Dennis Hong said the speed milestone is significant for bipedal robotics.

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