A new leader has emerged in the global race for robotic mobility as a Chinese research institute unveiled Bolt, a full-sized humanoid robot capable of reaching a peak sprinting speed of 10 meters per second.
The breakthrough, announced Monday by a humanoid robot institute at Zhejiang University in east China, officially marks the fastest recorded speed for a humanoid of its class.
Standing 175 centimeters tall and weighing 75 kilograms, Bolt was designed to mimic human proportions while pushing the physical boundaries of bipedal movement.
During a video demonstration, the robot was pitted against the organization's founder, Wang Hongtao, in a treadmill race. While the human runner eventually faltered, the robot maintained a steady stride, with the speedometer eventually topping out at the 10 m/s mark.
The robot's name is a deliberate nod to legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, whose 100-meter world record of 9.58 seconds remains the gold standard for human performance. At its current peak velocity, the robot could theoretically complete a 100-meter dash in exactly 10 seconds – placing it within striking distance of elite Olympic athletes.
The project is a collaborative effort between the institute and private technology firms MirrorMe Tech and Kaierda. Wang, who is also the founder of MirrorMe, noted that the primary goal of the research was not simply to break records but to develop a technological foundation that approaches or exceeds the biological limits of human motion.
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