China’s New Robot "Bolt" Just Broke the Human Speed Limit

China's two-legged humanoid robot, Bolt, set a new world record by reaching 10 meters per second (22.4 mph), surpassing previous humanoid speeds by nearly three times and approaching elite human athlete speeds.

• China's Bolt robot broke the humanoid speed record, running 100m in 10 seconds.

• Miram Technology, a two-year-old startup, developed Bolt by leveraging research from its high-speed quadriped robot.

• Robotics speed is experiencing exponential growth, rapidly closing the gap with human athletic performance.

A Chinese startup, Miram Technology, has developed Bolt, a humanoid robot that achieved a record-breaking speed of 10 m/s, capable of running a 100-meter dash in 10 seconds. Founded in 2024, the company rapidly advanced by leveraging research from its previous quadriped robot, Black Panther, which was designed for high-speed locomotion physics. This demonstrates an exponential growth in robotics, significantly closing the gap between human and robot athletic capabilities in a remarkably short period.

Bolt's Speed Record

• 00:00:00 China has set a new world record for the fastest humanoid robot with 'Bolt,' a two-legged robot capable of reaching 10 meters per second, equivalent to running the 100-meter dash in 10 seconds flat. This speed shatters the previous humanoid record by almost three times, with Bolt reaching 22.4 mph, significantly exceeding the average human sprinting speed of 12 mph, though still slower than Usain Bolt's peak of 27 mph.

Miram Technology's Development

• 00:01:31 Miram Technology, a Shanghai robotic startup founded in 2024, achieved this rapid advancement by focusing on athletic robotics, AI integration, and in-house actuators. The company's previous product, the 'Black Panther' quadriped robot, was a research project dedicated to high-speed locomotion physics, utilizing lightweight, high-power legs and carbon fiber structures. The critical step for Bolt's development was reusing the actuators and leg architecture from the Black Panther, allowing for unprecedented speed in a humanoid form.

Robot Racing Demonstrations

• 00:05:01 Miram Technology has publicly demonstrated its robots' capabilities, with the Black Panther quadriped robot competing in a Mr. Beast video race against American sprinter Noah Lyles and other robots. While it started slower, the quadriped rapidly closed the gap, reaching 35 km/h, suggesting it could potentially beat a human if it started faster. Furthermore, the CEO of Miram Technology raced Bolt side-by-side on a treadmill, visually proving the robot's sustained incredible speed compared to a human.

Exponential Robotics Growth

• 00:08:46 The progress in humanoid robotics speed is experiencing exponential growth, as evidenced by the rapid increase from 2024 to Bolt's current record, contrasting with previous steady improvements. This rapid pace highlights the industry's swift development, with projections suggesting robots could potentially surpass human sprinting speeds by April 2026, though this timeline is subject to data point accuracy. The shift from struggling humanoid robots to walking to running at over 20 mph in a short time signifies a remarkable technological leap.