Meet Chinese ‘Superman’ robot that reportedly runs faster than Usain Bolt (Video)

• Chinese robotics firm Unitree has developed a humanoid robot called “Superman” that reportedly reached 12.66m/s, faster than Usain Bolt’s estimated peak speed of 12.42m/s.

• The robot can also perform a 2-metre standing high jump, but its speed claims have not yet been independently verified.

• Unitree says Superman is still experimental, with further work needed on stability, energy efficiency and control.

The Hangzhou-based company said the prototype reached a top speed of 12.66 metres per second, while also completing a standing high jump of two metres.

Unitree said the robot was developed from scratch in just over three months and is still being improved, particularly in areas such as stability, control and energy efficiency.

A video released by the company shows the humanoid robot performing its two-metre standing jump before accelerating into a high-speed sprint.

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Bolt holds the men's 100-metre world record of 9.58 seconds, set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

During that record-breaking race, Bolt's peak speed is estimated at about 12.42 metres per second, based on his fastest 20-metre segment. His average speed over the full 100 metres was approximately 10.44 metres per second.

Unitree's claimed 12.66 m/s therefore puts its Superman prototype slightly ahead of Bolt's recorded peak speed.

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However, the comparison comes with an important caveat. Unitree's figure is a company-reported result and has not yet been independently verified. The company has also not released detailed information on its testing conditions, timing methodology or whether the robot could sustain the speed over a full 100-metre distance.

Unitree said Superman has legs measuring 0.85 metres and was built as an experimental platform for advancing high-speed humanoid movement.

The company has previously demonstrated humanoid robots capable of running, dancing and performing martial-arts movements. In April 2026, its H1 humanoid reportedly reached around 10 metres per second on an athletics track.

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Other Chinese robotics developers are also pushing the limits of humanoid speed, making running performance an increasingly important benchmark in the country's rapidly developing robotics industry.

Despite the latest achievement, humanoid robots still face major challenges, including maintaining balance at high speeds, conserving energy, adapting to different surfaces and operating safely.

Unitree's Superman is therefore not being presented as a replacement for human athletes or a commercial product. Instead, the prototype demonstrates how quickly robotic technology is advancing towards, and in some specific measurements potentially beyond, elite human athletic performance.

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The unveiling comes as robotics takes centre stage in China, with the announcement coinciding with the opening of the World Robot Conference in Beijing.