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Robots Break Human Speed and Jump Marks as Beijing Games Expose Safety Gaps

The results signal rapid hardware gains that raise questions about autonomous control and U.S. export scrutiny.

Overview

  • Organizers said the World Humanoid Robot Games opened Saturday in Beijing with more than 2,000 robots from 666 teams competing across 51 events.
  • In preparatory runs and opening heats, Chinese machines posted headline times and heights, including Honor’s test run of 9.32 seconds for 100m and X‑Humanoid robots clocking about 9.39 seconds and a 2.88m standing high jump.
  • Several on‑site incidents during preliminary races undercut the spectacle: robots crashed into padded walls, lost limbs, suffered broken waists and one briefly caught fire, with damaged machines carried off on stretchers.
  • Organizers tightened rules this year so most track and competitive events must be completed fully autonomously, a change that is exposing software limits in last‑meter stopping, braking and fine manipulation.
  • The displays come as Chinese firms scale commercially and face growing U.S. restrictions and Pentagon scrutiny, a mix that could slow exports and steer development toward safer, task‑oriented deployments.