Hilarity, unease and relief: games show China is not over the finish line in humanoid robot race

World Humanoid Robot Games showcased leaps Beijing has made in the tech, but also highlighted limitations as US rivals prepare their own launches With exploding pelvises, enough comic pratfalls for a Buster Keaton show reel and the odd moment of ruthless violence, the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing gripped the w

Videos from the World Humanoid Robot Games show android athletes crashing, boxing, and high-jumping in hilarious fashion as algorithms spread the clips.

Beijing’s endlessly delightful Robot Games featured tons of impressive stunts. But the most mind-blowing tricks challenged the humanoid’s brain, not its brawn.

The 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games have been going viral all week and it's easy to see why, with the machine Olympics offering an eerie glimpse into the future

A Chinese humanoid robot set a new 100-metre sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing on Tuesday, beating its robot competitors — and the fastest recorded human time.

A Tiangong Ultra humanoid robot crosses the finish line in 8.86 seconds, next to Honor humanoid robots, during a 100m large-size group semifinal race, at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China, on Aug 25, 2026. (Photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang) 26 Aug 2026 10:32AM BEIJING:

Record-breaking robot races are less substantial than household chore challenges.

A Chinese humanoid robot sets a new 100-meter sprint record at Beijing Games  AP News

A Chinese humanoid robot sets a new 100-meter sprint record at Beijing Games  Toronto Star

A Chinese humanoid robot has set a new 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing

A Chinese humanoid robot has set a new 100-meter sprint record of 8.86 seconds in Beijing

Tiangong Ultra (left) also broke the 400 meter world record during this year’s World Humanoid Robot Games. | Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images The 9.58-second 100-meter dash record set by Usain Bolt in 2009 has been outpaced by Chinese robots participating at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. In a preliminary

Chinese humanoid robots broke records set by humans, including beating Usain Bolt's 100-metre sprint world record, on the opening day of the Olympics-like World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Saturday.