Honor's robot breaks human record in 100m dash

On August 22, the second World Humanoid Robotics Games kicked off in Beijing, where Honor's robot 'Lightning' set a new benchmark in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 9.32 seconds, surpassing the previous human world record of 9.58 seconds. The robot also reached a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second. The event, co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government and China Central Television, featured 50 competitions, with stricter requirements compared to the first edition, including full autonomy for all but two events and reduced completion times for three speed categories. Lightning will compete in the 100m, 400m, and 1500m events from August 22 to 26. The robot's performance will be tested in both straight-line and curved starts, challenging its visual, decision-making, and algorithmic stability. In April, Lightning won the half-marathon in Beijing with a time of 50 minutes and 26 seconds. High Shiming, head of embodied intelligent perception at Honor's New Industry Incubation Department, revealed that the robot's legs were extended by 10 centimeters to 1.05 meters, improving stride length and speed. Internal adjustments included a lighter, more efficient structure and enhanced joint torque and response speed. Lightning's peak speed during the marathon was around 7 to 8 meters per second, but it now exceeds that significantly. For the 100m race, Lightning will use a pure visual system with cameras on the hips to maintain lane accuracy, while the 400m event will include radar for directional control. Zhou Yingjun, vice president of Honor's New Industry Incubation Department, noted that the start time is monitored by a stopwatch, but the robot's reaction is limited by communication and software delays. Each millisecond improvement in the 100m race requires optimization across the system. The technology used in Lightning is derived from Honor's consumer electronics expertise, including a liquid cooling system for thermal management, lightweight structures, and hardware reliability. The robot's 'steel body' was developed in collaboration with Blue Sky Technology, featuring 132 core metal components across key movement units. Lightning's capabilities in instant power output, rapid gait transitions, and millisecond-level balance control have pushed the limits of robotic speed. The endurance, cooling, and reliability tested in athletics are rooted in Honor's Magic series technology, which will also be integrated into the Magic9 series, giving each device 'champion-origin' performance.