Watch: Moment humanoid robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m record
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Warm-up
- What sports records do you find most exciting? Why?
- Have you ever seen a robot in real life or online? What did it do?
- Should robots compete in sports? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
- humanoid
- Shaped like a human, with a head, body, arms and legs.
- sprint
- A very fast short run, usually over a set distance.
- record
- The best result ever officially measured in a sport or activity.
- manufacturer
- A company that makes and sells products, like phones or machines.
- test
- A trial to check how well something works before an official event.
- medallist
- A person who has won a medal in a competition, such as the Olympics.
- laundry
- Clothes, towels or sheets that need to be washed or folded.
- robotics
- The field of designing and building robots.
Reading
A humanoid robot has run the 100m in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China. The machine was built by the Beijing Innovation Centre of Humanoid Robotics. Its time was faster than the human world record for the sprint. Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt set that record in 2009, running 100m in 9.58 seconds.
The robot beat two others in the race, including a model from Chinese smartphone maker Honor. The manufacturer says its own robot ran the distance in 9.32 seconds in a test run. The games began on Saturday and include sports events such as boxing and football, plus household tasks like folding laundry.
The event drew strong interest because it shows rapid progress in robotics. The BBC's China correspondent Laura Bicker reported from Beijing as crowds watched the races and other contests.
Comprehension
- Where did the robot run 100m in 9.39 seconds?
- Who holds the human 100m world record, and what is the time?
- Which company built a rival robot at the games?
- What time did that rival robot claim in a test run?
- What other events are included at the robot games?
Grammar focus
Modals for past deduction
Use must/might/could/can't + have + past participle to say how certain we are about a past event. Use must have for strong certainty, might/could have for possibility, can't have for impossibility. (Examples constructed.)
- No footage was shown, so observers said it might have been faked.
- There was no proof, so experts thought it must have been questioned.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- No footage exists, so the claim (be) ___ credible.
- Witnesses disagreed, so the time (be) ___ accurate.
- No video was shared, so the run (happen) ___ as claimed.
- Crowds cheered at the finish, so the humanoid (run) ___ the full 100m.
- No blood was visible, so the winner (sustain) ___ a serious injury.
Discussion
- Should robot sports keep records separate from human records?
- Would you watch a robot race on TV or online? Why or why not?
- What tasks at home could a humanoid robot help you with?
- Are manufacturers' test claims reliable, or should we be cautious?
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