Cue the Vangelis music
Record-breaking robot races are less substantial than household chore challenges.
An Honor humanoid robot breaks into pieces as it runs next to two Tian Gong Ultras, center and left, in the second heat of the large robot category of the 100 meter at the 2nd World Robot Games at National Speed Skating Oval on August 25, 2026 in Beijing, China.
evin Frayer/Getty Images
Viral videos of the World Humanoid Robot Games show sprinting robots beating the human 100-meter record held by Usain Bolt—but also feature running robots crashing into barriers and falling down because they cannot readily stop running. A few fallen robots even break at the waist in a shower of sparks or catch on fire.
