Humanoid robots developed by Shenzhen-based smartphone maker Honor claimed four track medals at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, recording times faster than human world marks across distances ranging from 100 to 1,500 meters.

In the 1,500-meter large-size final on Aug. 23, two of Honor’s Lightning robots took silver and bronze, finishing in 2 minutes, 30 seconds and 2:30.22, respectively. Both surpassed the men’s world record of 3:26.00.

An Honor-developed Lightning robot crosses the finish line in the 1,500-meter large-size final at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Aug. 23. Screenshot from CCTV News

Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center with Shenzhen-based UBTECH, won the race in 2:21.64, a substantial improvement on the 6:34.40 winning time at last year’s inaugural games.

In the 400-meter large-size final, Lightning robots claimed silver and bronze with times of 39.45 and 39.66 seconds. Tiangong Ultra won in 38.15 seconds. All three medalists finished faster than the men’s world record of 43.03 seconds, set by South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Later, Van Niekerk responded with a video congratulating Honor. “Your Honor robot Lightning has broken my 400-meter world record. Congratulations,” he said.

Lightning had already attracted international attention during preparations for the games, completing a 100-meter test in 9.32 seconds and reaching a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second. The test score beat Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second human world record set in Berlin in 2009.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared a post on X highlighting the result. The post also noted that Lightning remained intact after running into a safety barrier beyond the finish line.

A screenshot shows Tesla CEO Elon Musk reposting an X post about Lightning’s 9.32-second pre-competition 100-meter test. Screenshot from X

In the official 100-meter preliminary race a day earlier, Lightning finished in 9.47 seconds, behind Tiangong Ultra’s 9.39 seconds. Both beat Bolt’s mark and represented a sharp improvement over the results at last year’s games.

By fielding Lightning in the 100-, 400- and 1,500-meter events, Honor tested the robot across three distinct physical challenges: explosive acceleration, sustained speed and heat management, and longer-distance pacing and endurance.

Running draws on some of a humanoid robot’s most fundamental systems, including power supply, joint modules, motion control, balance, perception and motor feedback. Improvements in these capabilities could eventually support robots operating in manufacturing, logistics and other real-world environments.

Humanoid robots compete in a soccer match at the 2nd World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Photo from WeChat account "SZTV News"

The games, which ran through Aug. 26 at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, featured 51 events and 1,301 competitions. A total of 666 teams and 2,056 humanoid robots took part, with contests ranging from track events to practical tasks in household, hotel and logistics settings.