Ultra quick: Chinese robots beat Usain Bolt’s 100m world record at Beijing games

The results mark a sharp improvement from last year’s inaugural event, when Tiangong Ultra won over the same distance in 21.50 seconds

Two Chinese humanoid robots have eclipsed the achievement of the man widely regarded as the fastest human in history.

Racing in the 100 metres at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Tiangong Ultra clocked 9.39 seconds in a preliminary heat, beating the men’s world record of 9.58 seconds held by Jamaican sprinting great Usain Bolt since 2009.

Another robot in the heat, Lightning, also finished faster than Bolt in a time of 9.47 seconds.

Unitree Robotics’ robot was not as quick, finishing last with a time of 12.41 seconds.

Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre, won its heat at the opening of the games’ second edition on Saturday.

The robot overtook smartphone maker Honor’s Lightning near the finish after falling behind early in the race.