A Chinese humanoid robot has run 100 metres in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, recording a time faster than the men’s world record held by Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt.

Tiangong Ultra, developed by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, won its preliminary heat on Saturday, organisers said.

The robot initially fell behind Honor’s Lightning but overtook it close to the finish line. Lightning completed the race in 9.47 seconds, also faster than Bolt’s 9.58-second world record set at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin.

Despite their impressive times, the robots’ finishes were far from smooth.

Both machines ran straight into a thick mat placed at the end of the track to stop them. Tiangong stumbled towards the sidelines, forcing spectators to move out of its path, while Lightning collapsed and had to be carried away on a stretcher.

The performances nevertheless represented a major improvement from last year’s inaugural games. Tiangong Ultra won the 100m event in 21.50 seconds at the time.

Tiangong also won the world’s first humanoid robot half-marathon, which was held in Beijing last year.

Earlier on Saturday, Chinese state media reported that Lightning had completed 100 metres in 9.32 seconds during a preparatory test. It reportedly reached a top speed of 14.5 metres per second.

Lightning also won this year’s humanoid half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, recording a pace faster than the elite men’s human world-record pace.

The robot stood 169cm tall and had 95cm-long legs during the half-marathon. Its researchers later extended its legs by 10cm to 1.05 metres ahead of the games, according to broadcaster CCTV.

The 100m race is one of 51 events being held at the games. Other competitions include football, dancing and industrial-task challenges.

China has identified humanoid robots as a strategic emerging industry, with policymakers and companies investing heavily in the technology.

The country is betting that advances in artificial intelligence and hardware will help humanoid robots become more widely used in areas such as manufacturing, logistics and consumer applications.

Investor interest in the sector was highlighted earlier this week when shares in Unitree, one of China’s best-known humanoid robot makers, surged more than fivefold during its Shanghai trading debut on Wednesday. The jump gave the company a market value of around $50 billion.

This year’s games have attracted 2,056 robots representing 666 teams from 16 countries across six continents. That is a significant increase from the 280 teams that took part in the inaugural event.

The games are being held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval and will continue until Wednesday.

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