{"id":823408,"date":"2026-08-23T18:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T18:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/823408\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T18:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T18:52:12","slug":"robots-can-outrun-humans-but-can-they-plug-in-a-cable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/823408\/","title":{"rendered":"Robots can outrun humans, but can they plug in a cable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

China\u2019s humanoid robots have \u200bshown they can run quicker<\/a> than the fastest humans.<\/p>\n

Now comes the real test: can they also handle packaging \u200cand warehouse operations while reliably performing precision tasks like connecting cables designed to evaluate their ability to work like humans in less flashy jobs?<\/p>\n

The five-day World Humanoid Robot Games, which began Saturday in Beijing<\/a>, combine events modelled on human sports with those designed to test the robots in simulated factories, restaurants, \u200boffices and in emergency situations.<\/p>\n

The games, heavily promoted in Chinese state media<\/a>, feature 51 events, including 30 sports competitions and \u200b21 scenario-based contests. More than 40% require robots to operate fully autonomously, according to Huawei, a tech \u2060partner of the games.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, two robots ran faster than Usain Bolt\u2019s 9.58-second world record<\/a> in the 100-meter sprint. That was a \u200bsharp improvement from 2025, when the winning robot\u2019s time was more than 20 seconds. Braking was an issue, as the machines slammed into \u200ba thick mat that organizers placed several feet after the finish line.<\/p>\n

00:17<\/p>\n

Humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt’s 100-meter record<\/p>\n

00:0000:00<\/p>\n

Another humanoid, the same model as the 100-meter champion, ran 400 meters in 39.7 seconds, faster than South African Wayde van Niekerk\u2019s world record of 43.03 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intensity is higher than last year, which places significant demands on the robot\u2019s \u200bbattery management and thermal dissipation capabilities,\u201d said spectator and robotics investor Xu Qiaosheng.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt holds huge significance for the development of China\u2019s industrial \u200bsector.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robots will compete in tug-of-war and weightlifting, while Tai Chi and pitch-pot \u2014 in which contestants throw arrow-like sticks into a narrow-necked vase \u2014 will give traditional \u200cChinese \u2060sports a futuristic twist.<\/p>\n

Beyond the spectacle, the more revealing tests could come when robots encounter the small imperfections of the physical world: a cable at the wrong angle, an object just out of reach, a shifting package or a missed step.<\/p>\n

That tests whether robots can identify objects, accurately position their hands and bodies, apply controlled force and recover from errors without human intervention.<\/p>\n

\"HumanoidHumanoid robots during the opening procession at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China, on Saturday.Kevin Frayer \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Lumos Robotics \u200bChief Executive Yu Chao said \u200bthe games could help improve \u2060hardware and provide a showcase for the industry. But Yu said the longer-term value will depend on real-world problem solving.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly when it can work in those end scenarios does it have real value,\u201d Yu \u200bsaid. \u201cSimply running and jumping does not improve efficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to more familiar events drawn from human \u200bsports, robots will \u2060compete in EV charging, restaurant work, emergency incident handling and hand-dexterity contests. There are also industrial assembly and material loading events. A cable connection challenge is a test of vision, mechanical alignment and force control.<\/p>\n

Beijing-based robotics startup Galbot said it would stage an autonomous humanoid tennis match, \u2060with robots \u200battempting singles and doubles play, including ball tracking, serving and returning shots.<\/p>\n

For Hua \u200bRong, chief marketing officer at robotics firm Zeroth, the real test will come after the demonstrations end.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe competition will be whether, after the product is sold, it can \u200breally solve users\u2019 problems,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"China\u2019s humanoid robots have \u200bshown they can run quicker than the fastest humans. Now comes the real test:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":823409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-823408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=823408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/823408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/823409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=823408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=823408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=823408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}