BEIJING — The second World Humanoid Robots Games is taking place in Beijing, and the spotlight has fallen on two distinct groups of humanoid robots: those that have broken long-standing human records, and those that have established entirely new competition records of their own. Across sprinting, middle-distance running, jumping, weightlifting, tug-of-war, table tennis, and a growing list of task-based events, humanoid robots are pushing against boundaries that once seemed fixed. The competition is not merely a display of speed or strength. It is a concentrated examination of machine brains, cerebellum-like control systems, body structures, core components, and the capacity of humanoid robots to operate autonomously under pressure.
The record book is changing quickly. The 100 meters, 400 meters, and 1500 meters are among the events in which human records are being comprehensively surpassed by humanoid robots. Yet the deeper significance of these results lies beyond the scoreboard. Every faster run, higher jump, heavier lift, and more delicate hand movement reflects advances in joint motors, reducers, batteries, materials, control algorithms, and system integration. The games have become a proving ground for engineering capability, and the outcomes are being watched closely by researchers, manufacturers, and investors who want to understand where humanoid robots are heading next.
- Record-Breaking Sprints and Middle-Distance Races
Among the record-breaking teams, the Tiangong team has attracted particular attention. At the opening ceremony, the humanoid robot Tiangong Ultra ran the 100 meters in 9.39 seconds. That result was faster than the human men’s 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds held by Usain Bolt, beating it by 0.19 seconds. Tiangong Ultra then produced further new marks of 9.32 seconds and 9.34 seconds. In the 400-meter large-group final, Tiangong won with a time of 38.15 seconds, moving ahead of the human 43.03-second world record. In the 1500 meters, the Tianzhuo team used Tiangong Ultra to win in 2 minutes 21.64 seconds. According to public information, the current men’s 1500-meter world record is 3 minutes 26 seconds.
Honor was also highly visible. In the 400-meter large-group final, the Zhuifeng Zaizai team from Honor took silver with a time of 39.45 seconds, also surpassing the human record. During preparation, the Honor humanoid robot Lightning completed a 100-meter test with a recorded result of 9.32 seconds and a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second. The performance received a repost and endorsement from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The surpassing of human records by humanoid robots did not come without expectation. In April 2026, at the Beijing Yizhuang Half Marathon and Humanoid Robot Half Marathon, an Honor humanoid robot won in 50 minutes 26 seconds, exceeding the human half-marathon world record. In the previous year, the winning humanoid robot, Tiangong, recorded a time of 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds. The contrast between those results and the latest performances shows how quickly the field is moving.
| Event | Team or Humanoid Robot | Result | Comparison or Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-meter run at opening ceremony | Tiangong team / Tiangong Ultra | 9.39 seconds | Faster than the human men’s 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds by 0.19 seconds |
| 100-meter subsequent runs | Tiangong team / Tiangong Ultra | 9.32 seconds and 9.34 seconds | New marks for humanoid robots |
| 400-meter large-group final | Tiangong team / Tiangong | 38.15 seconds | Ahead of the human 43.03-second world record |
| 1500-meter final | Tianzhuo team / Tiangong Ultra | 2 minutes 21.64 seconds | Human men’s 1500-meter world record is 3 minutes 26 seconds |
| 400-meter large-group final silver | Honor / Zhuifeng Zaizai | 39.45 seconds | Also surpassed the human record |
| 100-meter test during preparation | Honor / Lightning | 9.32 seconds | Peak speed reached 14.5 meters per second |
| April 2026 half marathon | Honor humanoid robot | 50 minutes 26 seconds | Exceeded the human half-marathon world record |
| Previous year’s half marathon | Tiangong | 2 hours 40 minutes 42 seconds | Previous winning result before the latest advances |
- First-Ever Records in New Events
In this continuing pursuit of limits, a set of first-ever competition records for humanoid robots has also been formally created. This year’s games added high-intensity and adversarial events including long jump, weightlifting, tug-of-war, and table tennis. These events are not simple extensions of track and field. They place extreme demands on the brains, cerebellum-like control, body structures, and core components of humanoid robots. They also require humanoid robots to manage balance, force, timing, and coordination in ways that are closer to real-world physical interaction.
In the long jump, the Tianjiao team won gold with a result of 7.97 meters, setting the first official world record for humanoid robots in the long jump. In the heavyweight weightlifting competition, a humanoid robot from the Beijing Humanoid-Huake United team successfully lifted a 16-kilogram barbell and won the first gold medal in that event. On the afternoon of August 25, in the tug-of-war final, the humanoid robot Xingzhe Taishan from Shandong Youbaote Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. became the first champion in that event after multiple rounds of competition.
| New Event | Winning Team or Humanoid Robot | Result | Historic Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long jump | Tianjiao team | 7.97 meters | First official world record for humanoid robots in long jump |
| Weightlifting, heavyweight | Beijing Humanoid-Huake United team | Lifted a 16-kilogram barbell | First gold medal in the event |
| Tug-of-war | Shandong Youbaote Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. / Xingzhe Taishan | First champion after multiple rounds | First champion in the event |
These first records matter because they move humanoid robots beyond familiar demonstrations. Long jump tests explosive power, aerial control, and landing stability. Weightlifting tests structural strength, joint torque, and load-bearing capacity. Tug-of-war tests continuous force output, traction, balance, and resistance to disturbance. Table tennis, meanwhile, tests perception, prediction, reaction, and precise motion control. Together, these events create a more complete picture of what humanoid robots can and cannot yet do.
- Higher Difficulty and Greater Autonomy
Compared with earlier editions, the difficulty of this year’s competition has risen sharply. Except for the 100-meter obstacle race and the 400-meter obstacle race, all track events and other competitive events require humanoid robots to complete their tasks fully autonomously. That requirement changes the nature of the contest. Humanoid robots cannot rely on remote operation or continuous human intervention in most events. They must perceive their environment, make decisions, maintain balance, and recover from errors on their own.
The 100-meter obstacle race illustrates the challenge. A total of 50 teams entered, but only 13 completed the race, while 37 did not finish. In the first games last year, the Unitree system swept gold medals in speed events. This year, however, the Unitree Technology team failed to complete the event, and its result was invalid. According to the official information platform of the games, the time limit for the 100-meter obstacle race is 5 minutes. If a humanoid robot does not finish within the allotted time, it is considered to have retired during the competition or to have failed to complete the race. At the venue, when the Unitree Technology team arrived at the final obstacle, the timer had already reached 5 minutes, and a few seconds later the timer ended.
The threshold for becoming a champion has also become higher. In this year’s 1500-meter final, the Tianzhuo team used Tiangong Ultra to win in 2 minutes 21.64 seconds. In the first games last year, a humanoid robot from Beijing Lingyi Technology, affiliated with Unitree, won with a time of 6 minutes 34 seconds. The improvement is substantial, and it reflects both better hardware and stronger control software. Humanoid robots are not only becoming faster; they are being asked to perform under stricter rules and more realistic conditions.
| Category | This Year’s Result | Previous First Games Result | Key Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500-meter final champion | Tianzhuo team / Tiangong Ultra: 2 minutes 21.64 seconds | Beijing Lingyi Technology, affiliated with Unitree: 6 minutes 34 seconds | Champion threshold raised significantly |
| 100-meter obstacle race | 50 teams entered, 13 completed, 37 did not finish | Unitree system swept gold medals in speed events | Unitree Technology team did not complete, result invalid |
| Autonomy requirement | Except for 100-meter and 400-meter obstacle races, all track and other competitive events require fully autonomous completion | Earlier rules allowed different levels of support in more events | Humanoid robots must rely more on their own perception and decision-making |
- Hardware Limits and Algorithmic Progress
The question naturally arises: do humanoid robots have an upper limit? Han Gang, a motion control algorithm expert at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, said that the upper limit of robot movement capability actually depends on the upper limit of hardware. Joint torque offers a clear example. Last year, a 1.8-meter-tall humanoid robot used 300 newton-meter joint modules, and at the time it was considered very strong. This year, however, the industry may commonly use 800 newton-meter joints. That change alone has helped double the running speed of humanoid robots compared with the previous year.
Han Gang also noted that more powerful joints, higher-discharge-rate batteries, lighter and stronger materials, and motion control algorithms are mutually reinforcing. Progress in one area creates opportunities in another. At the same time, there is a transfer gap between simulation and reality. Bridging that gap is a central problem across the motion control field. As researchers become better at solving it, humanoid robots will run faster and jump higher.
This interplay between hardware and software is visible throughout the games. Faster sprinting depends on stronger joint modules and lighter structures, but it also depends on stable gait generation, rapid balance correction, and efficient energy use. Higher jumping depends on explosive power and lightweight materials, but it also depends on precise control of takeoff and landing. Weightlifting and tug-of-war depend on structural strength and torque output, but they also require force control, traction management, and real-time adjustment. The performances of humanoid robots are therefore not the result of a single breakthrough. They emerge from many engineering decisions working together.
- From Arena Records to Real-World Capability
More questions concern daily life. When humanoid robots keep breaking limits, what do these new records have to do with people? Xu Zhiyuan, head of the motion control department at the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, offered a direct answer: use extreme tasks in the arena to validate engineering capability, and use load technology to precipitate general skills. In other words, the arena is not an end in itself. It is a way to test whether humanoid robots can perform reliably when demands are high.
Xu Zhiyuan mentioned that weightlifting and tug-of-war, for example, validate more than a single action. They validate a reusable set of high-load physical interaction capabilities. Those capabilities can be further consolidated into general skill modules, pushing humanoid robots from single-point demonstrations toward a general skill library. In the future, such heavy-load capabilities can be applied to industrial handling and assembly, logistics loading and unloading of heavy objects, and the transfer of engineering building materials. They can also be extended to emergency rescue dragging and clearing, high-risk special operations, and other fields. As the load capacity and autonomous operation capability of humanoid robots continue to improve, these abilities may also extend to service scenarios such as moving large household items.
Every additional centimeter in a jump and every additional kilogram lifted is the result of engineers continuously optimizing joint motors and reducers, improving precision manufacturing, and conducting repeated testing and verification. Jiang Guangzhi, executive deputy director of the organizing committee of the World Humanoid Robots Games and director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economics and Information Technology, said that it is through step-by-step refinement that the extreme technical capabilities of humanoid robots continue to achieve new breakthroughs.
Scenario competitions are even more directly connected to real life. This edition extends the events into real environments, covering industry, hotels, homes, and logistics. It also includes a dedicated dexterous hand event. Assembly loading, domestic service, fire rescue, and library book sorting are all designed around scenarios that are tedious, dirty, dangerous, or difficult. In the dexterous hand event, powder weighing, picking beans with tweezers, and opening bottles and prying caps test whether humanoid robots can see clearly, hold steadily, and act accurately in fine fingertip tasks.
Jiang Guangzhi said that if humanoid robots master these last-meter skills, they can win a medal and get an order, leave the arena, and enter the site. That formulation captures the practical ambition behind the games. The records are not meant to remain in the stadium. They are intended to become capabilities that can be transferred to factories, warehouses, hotels, homes, rescue sites, and other environments where humanoid robots may eventually work alongside people.
- A Rational View Amid Record-Breaking Momentum
At the same time, when the industry enters a carnival of record-breaking, rational judgment remains indispensable. Humanoid robots continue to break records, but they are still some distance from true industrial transformation and everyday life. Spectacular performances in controlled events do not automatically mean that humanoid robots can handle the complexity, uncertainty, and messiness of ordinary human environments. The gap between a record-setting run and a reliable household helper is still significant.
Wang Xingxing, founder of Unitree, recently spoke at the 2026 World Robot Conference. He said that whether humanoid robots or semi-humanoid robots, truly entering life and entering the family could happen in as little as two to three years, or as slowly as five or ten years. He added that if one day people can take a robot to any unfamiliar environment, bring it into their family, and it can basically complete 80 percent of tasks, then the embodied intelligence ChatGPT moment will have approximately arrived.
That moment has not yet been reached. The new records on the field are therefore best understood as a prelude. They show what humanoid robots can achieve when hardware, algorithms, materials, energy systems, and engineering processes are pushed toward their current limits. They also reveal where the remaining bottlenecks are: autonomy, transfer from simulation to reality, durability, safety, cost, and the ability to generalize across tasks.
- The Record Book as a Leading Indicator
The second World Humanoid Robots Games demonstrates that humanoid robots are moving rapidly from isolated demonstrations toward integrated systems. The 100-meter sprint, 400-meter race, 1500-meter final, long jump, weightlifting, tug-of-war, table tennis, and scenario events together provide a broad map of progress. Some humanoid robots are breaking human records. Others are setting the first records in entirely new categories. The rules are becoming stricter, the tasks are becoming more autonomous, and the champion threshold is rising.
Yet the most important contest may not be the one measured in seconds, meters, or kilograms. The most important contest is whether humanoid robots can take the capabilities validated in the arena and make them useful in the real world. Can a humanoid robot that lifts a barbell safely move heavy materials in a factory? Can a humanoid robot that balances through an obstacle course navigate a crowded hotel corridor or a cluttered home? Can a humanoid robot that opens a bottle with a dexterous hand also prepare a meal, assist an elderly person, or respond in a rescue situation? These are the questions that will define the next stage.
For now, the record book serves as a leading indicator. It shows that humanoid robots are improving quickly. It shows that hardware limits are being raised, algorithms are becoming more capable, and engineering teams are learning to bridge the gap between simulation and reality. It also shows that humanoid robots remain far from the everyday versatility that many people imagine. The journey from record-breaking performance to dependable service is still underway.
The new records set in Beijing are not the final destination. They are milestones on a longer road. As humanoid robots continue to develop, the world will watch not only for faster runs and higher jumps, but also for the moment when these machines can leave the arena and enter ordinary life with confidence, safety, and usefulness. The record-breaking year for humanoid robots may be remembered as the prelude to that broader transformation.