Highlights From China's Humanoid Robot Olympics

It's that time of year again when humanoid robots of all shapes, sizes, and specialties converge in Beijing to see just how far this technology has come and how far it still has to go

The second annual World Humanoid Robot Games concluded this week, bringing even more spectacular triumphs and fails than it did last year

Plenty of shocking news came from the event, and I'm not talking about Voltage

Engineers proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they can build two-legged robots faster than the 100-meter world record holder Usain Bolt

A robot appropriately named Lightning initially broke Bolt's record of 9.58 seconds, running the same distance in just 9.32 seconds

Later in the competition, another robot did the unthinkable, running 100 meters in under 9 seconds, which some have said is almost impossible for humans

Just an idea, but maybe the robot's next challenge could be learning how to stop

Robots also beat human records in the 400-meter sprint and the standing high jump

If this type of news scares you, don't worry. There were plenty of robot fails at the event, too

Humanoid robots tasted the pavement in boxing, tug-of-war, and even dance. Despite the focus of this massive robot Olympics being on the robots themselves

giving them a platform to push their limits and demonstrate their abilities, or lack thereof

It's impossible not to notice the army of humans behind the scenes, helping these robots mature and evolve into something that could change the world

for better or worse, but most likely a mix of both. What do you think about the world of humanoid robot games

Do you wish there was something like it in your country? Let us know down in the comments and subscribe for more stories that make you say

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