(ECNS) -- A humanoid robot named Tiangong robot Omni clocked 45.66 seconds to win the gold medal at the 400-meter contest during the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Sunday.
The robot's performance was notable not only for its speed but also for its unusual running style. Leaning sharply forward, it swung both arms close to its face, creating a comical pose that looked as if it were covering its face while sprinting.
The quirky gait quickly went viral online, with Chinese netizens jokingly dubbing it a "socially anxious sprint". The contrast between the robot's high-speed performance and its almost bashful posture has made it an unexpected internet sensation.
The movement was not manually programmed by engineers to imitate humans. Instead, the distinctive gait emerged autonomously through reinforcement learning in a simulation environment.
During training, the robot learned that twisting its waist and driving its movement through the hips required less effort than rapidly swinging its arms. The strategy also helped reduce heat buildup in the shoulder joints. At the same time, leaning forward shifted its center of gravity in a way that improved balance and helped increase running speed.
With a time of 45.66 seconds, Omni's performance is already approaching the level of elite male human athletes in China.
(By Gong Weiwei)
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