Usain Bolt is the fastest human being ever, but just like our jobs and probably our very existence, his incredible record is now under threat from AI-powered humanoid robots. Chinese robotics giant Unitree recently showcased footage of its H1 robot breaking the world record for the fastest 100-meter sprint by a humanoid robot, reaching 10 meters per second.
During his phenomenal 2009 performance, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt reached a top speed of approximately 12.42 meters per second, but his average speed over the 100-meter race was 10.44 meters per second. Now, that incredible speed can be matched by humanoid robots!
Unitree Robotics recently released new test footage of its H1 humanoid robot sprinting at speeds of up to 10.1 metres/s on a track, putting it in the same ballpark as the Jamaican sprinting legend. The company acknowledged that there may have been “minor measurement inaccuracies” during the test, but the performance of the H1 is still regarded as a major milestone in bipedal robot mobility.
“10 m/s!! Unitree Breaks the World Record Again. With the physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed,” Unitree captioned its viral video.
Believe it or not, a couple of years ago, we wrote about Star1, the fastest bipedal humanoid robot at the time. It ran at a speed of 8 miles per hour. At its peak, the Unitree H1 reached a whopping 22 mph. It’s amazing how fast technology has improved.
Interestingly, another Chinese firm, MirrorMe, showcased its own humanoid robot capable of running at incredible speeds. Named Bolt, it is also capable of reaching 10m/s, making it a direct competitor of the H1.
For the world’s fastest quadruped robot, check out Mirror Me’s Black Panther.
