A humanoid robot developed by the Chinese company X-Humanoid recently completed a 100-meter sprint in 9.39 seconds, reportedly surpassing Usain Bolt’s 2009 world record of 9.58 seconds. The robot’s attempt ended with it colliding at full speed into a padded barrier and falling, requiring assistance to be removed from the track. The event took place late last month at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, where robots also competed in activities such as boxing, soccer, and tennis against human opponents.

China’s humanoid robotics industry has expanded rapidly, supported by significant state funding and investment. Robots have been showcased performing various athletic feats, including dancing, martial arts, and even running marathons faster than any recorded human times. However, experts caution that these publicly visible achievements do not necessarily translate to practical real-world applications.

“Most of the sports the humanoids are doing don’t directly translate into utility for many of the mundane tasks people are trying to get humanoids to perform, like being useful around the house,” said Michael Milford, a professor and director of the robotics center at Queensland University of Technology. He described the robots’ capabilities as limited to specific, controlled events rather than adaptable, everyday functions.

China’s state news agency acknowledged the gap between competitive performance and practical use, noting that a factory or service robot’s value is not measured by speed or medals but by improvements in speed, stability, and precision that could incrementally enhance usefulness outside competition.

Even amid these limitations, the attention generated by such demonstrations appears to be benefiting robotics companies commercially. Unitree Robotics, known for viral videos showing robots performing kung fu, kickboxing, and acrobatic moves, made its stock market debut on the Shanghai exchange last month, with shares rising over 460 percent on the first day.

The progress in robotic locomotion is notable. Alan Fern, a robotics professor at Oregon State University, cited his team’s 2022 Guinness World Record for a bipedal robot sprinting 100 meters in 24.73 seconds, emphasizing the dramatic reduction in time achieved by X-Humanoid over four years. However, Fern pointed out that improvements have largely come through better hardware and control mechanisms rather than fundamental breakthroughs in robotics technology.

More impressive, according to Fern, was the tennis-playing robot’s ability to handle unpredictable elements, such as tracking a fast-moving ball and coordinating a timely return shot. Such interactive and adaptive tasks remain challenging for robots, which generally perform better in predictable, stable environments.

Despite their advances, robots at the Beijing games frequently encountered operational difficulties. Numerous incidents were recorded, including robots falling, crashing into obstacles, and even sparking small fires. Some machines displayed unusual movement patterns, earning nicknames on social media platforms like Weibo. Many sprinting robots failed to decelerate independently, instead stopping abruptly by running into padded barriers.

Experts agree that achieving humanoid robots capable of matching human versatility and reliability in everyday environments remains a long-term goal. Fern noted that outside entertainment and narrow industrial settings, current robots lack the general-purpose intelligence and robustness necessary for complex, dynamic real-world conditions.

Milford drew parallels to the evolution of self-driving cars, which took decades to reach a level of safety and functionality appropriate for broad deployment. Fern compared robotic speed records to advances in car racing: while impressive, faster lap times do not equate to revolutions in transportation. He added that surpassing Bolt’s record in a sprint does not imply that robots have achieved general superiority in human locomotion.

Bolt did not respond to requests for comment regarding the robotic achievement.