For a brief moment, Unitree’s new humanoid robot looked almost untouchable. It raced forward at a speed faster than Usain Bolt’s recorded peak velocity… before reality caught up and the machine lost control.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The viral footage of Unitree’s “Superman” robot has quickly become a talking point in the robotics world. The Chinese company claims the humanoid can reach 12.66 meters per second, or roughly 45.6 km/h, narrowly surpassing the estimated 12.42 m/s peak speed reached by Bolt during his 9.58-second 100m world record in Berlin in 2009.
But there is an important catch. Bolt maintained control of his body while producing one of the greatest sprints ever seen. Superman, in contrast, struggled to remain upright at its top speed. In the demonstration, the robot eventually veered off course and crashed into an electrical box.
That moment perhaps says more about the state of humanoid robotics than the impressive number itself…
On paper, the comparison is spectacular. If Unitree’s robot could somehow maintain 12.66 m/s for an entire 100 meters, it would theoretically cover the distance in about 7.9 seconds – well inside Bolt’s world-record time.
That, however, is only a mathematical comparison. A robot reaching a peak velocity for a short stretch is not the same as an elite athlete sustaining speed through an entire race while managing balance, acceleration and changing conditions.
Unitree has also made clear that Superman is still very much a work in progress. The company says development of the humanoid took only a little over three months, suggesting there is plenty of room for further changes.
However, the timing of the unveiling is significant, too. Unitree is preparing to begin trading on Shanghai’s STAR Market after raising roughly 6.1 billion yuan, or around $900 million, through its IPO. The company has also said it produced and delivered approximately 18,000 bipedal humanoid robots across its different models by the end of July.
Unitree’s ‘Superman’ Is Not Just Built to Run
Unitree says the humanoid can perform a standing vertical jump of around two meters, a figure that would exceed the human standing high-jump world record. Its demonstrations have also included dancing and martial arts, adding to the growing spectacle surrounding China’s rapidly developing robotics industry.
Yet the latest running test exposes the uncomfortable part of that progress. Speed is one thing. Controlling that speed is another.
The issue becomes even more important when robots move beyond controlled demonstrations. A machine that stumbles during a sprint can make for a viral clip. A similar failure while performing a job around people could have much more serious consequences.
That concern is not entirely theoretical…
Unitree’s robots have already been involved in worrying incidents. Earlier this year, one robot reportedly kicked its handler in the groin, while another struck a child during a dance demonstration gone wrong. Such episodes have raised questions over whether robotic capabilities are developing faster than the safeguards designed to control them.
Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, a computer scientist and associate professor at the University of Louisville, previously warned that the consequences could become far more serious when robots are deployed in sensitive environments.
“A glitch in a dancing robot is mostly embarrassing,” Yampolskiy told The Post.
The concern, he explained, changes completely when the same technology is placed in environments such as healthcare, security or industrial work, where a malfunction could injure someone or cause wider damage.
That is ultimately where the Bolt comparison falls short. The Jamaican sprint legend did not simply move quickly; he controlled every stride, responded to his surroundings and stayed upright all the way to the finish.
Superman has shown that a humanoid can move incredibly fast. The crash at the end of its run showed the harder problem still waiting to be solved.
As China prepares for the World Robot Conference and World Humanoid Robot Games, Unitree’s latest creation is undoubtedly pushing the boundaries of what these machines can do.
But if robots are eventually expected to work alongside humans, breaking speed records may not be the benchmark that matters most. The real challenge will be learning when and how to slow down.