China’s Unitree Unveils Robot With “Human-Like Physique” That Can Outrun Most People

The race for bipedal humanoid robot intelligence has certainly been in the news, with robots receiving “AI brains” that have already brought them onto factory floors and will likely become more visible in the public world in the coming years (see UBS). 

But there is another race that Chinese robot maker Unitree is simultaneously part of, and that is actual speed.

In recent days, Unitree posted a video on X titled “Unitree Breaks the World Record Again,” indicating that one of its humanoid robots now has the “physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed.”

Unitree said the robot completed a sprint at 10 meters per second, or 22.4 mph. For context, the fastest human sprint speed ever recorded was Usain Bolt’s 27.8 mph during his 100-meter world record run at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

10m/s!! Unitree Breaks the World Record Again😊
With the physique of an ordinary person, running at a world champion’s speed!
Leg length: 0.4+0.4=0.8m, body weight: approx. 62kg!
H1: “Give me one more chance, give the world one more honor!” pic.twitter.com/Fk4Zo9zKit

— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) April 11, 2026

Related:

Will Chinese Robot Maker Unitree’s Shanghai IPO Spark A Humanoid-Investing Bubble

Combine intelligence with speed, and the world is certainly racing toward the rise of robots that could one day chase down a human or even appear on the battlefield.

That’s likely already happened.