According to Al Jazeera English, citing China’s state broadcaster CCTV, Lightning achieved the feat during a preparatory test ahead of the second World Humanoid Robot Games scheduled to take place in Beijing.
The robot reportedly reached a top speed of 14.5 metres per second during the run.
Its reported time is faster than Bolt’s 9.58-second world record, which the Jamaican set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
Lightning has also reportedly demonstrated its ability to perform over longer distances. In April, the humanoid robot won a 21-kilometre Beijing half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, a time that was faster than the average pace required for the men’s human world record.
The robot is said to stand 1.69 metres tall and originally had legs measuring 95 centimetres. Researchers later extended its legs by 10 centimetres to 1.05 metres ahead of the humanoid robot games.
China has increasingly identified humanoid robotics as a strategic emerging industry, with companies and policymakers exploring applications for the technology in manufacturing, logistics and consumer services.
However, Lightning’s reported 9.32-second run does not qualify as an official athletics record because the robot was not competing under the conditions and regulations governing human athletes under World Athletics rules.
The feat nevertheless highlights the rapid progress being made in humanoid robotics and the growing capabilities of robotic systems being developed in China.
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