China’s TianGong Ultra Robot Shifts From Racing Record to Real-World Work
China’s TianGong Ultra humanoid robot is moving from a record-breaking racetrack performance toward practical work, as its developers focus on improving reliability, stability and autonomous capabilities. Developed by Beijing-based X-Humanoid under engineer Jack Guo, Ultra ran 100 metres in 8.64 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games, beating Usain Bolt’s 9.58-second world record by almost a second.
The sprint was never the final objective for Guo’s team. The engineers used the competition to push the robot’s movement systems to their limits, repeatedly testing, repairing and adjusting machines between races. Now, the bigger goal is to turn that mobility into useful work. Guo said the team wants to move from “high performance” to “high reliability and high usability” as humanoid robots begin entering real-world environments.
From Record-Breaking Speed to Useful Work
X-Humanoid is based in Yizhuang, a major technology and robotics cluster in southeast Beijing. Founded in November 2023, the company is backed by state-owned and private investors, including robotics manufacturer UBTech and Chinese technology companies Xiaomi and Baidu. It develops humanoid hardware, motion-control software and AI systems while also commercialising its own robots.
The company has already begun testing robots in industrial settings. At Foton Cummins’ engine factory in Beijing, its Tianyi 2.0 humanoid has been used in early trials to move boxes weighing between 8 kg and 12 kg onto shelves. X-Humanoid’s customers also include universities, research institutions and companies investigating possible industrial applications, although the company has not disclosed how many of its robots are currently deployed commercially.
Why Running Matters for Humanoid Robots
Ultra was initially developed as an experiment in advanced humanoid movement rather than as a racing machine. Guo compares the current stage of humanoid robotics with the early development of automobiles: engineers first need to make the physical machine controllable and dependable before increasingly capable AI can take on more complex tasks.
Running can help develop that underlying mobility. A humanoid capable of maintaining balance and movement across different conditions could eventually handle tasks that require navigating varied environments. X-Humanoid’s smaller Omni robot has already been tested outside the laboratory, including an internal trial in which it climbed from the first floor of the company’s headquarters to the 17th floor.
The Technology Still Has Major Limits
Ultra’s record speed also exposed some of the problems engineers still need to solve. The robot weighs about 75 kg and can exceed 17 metres per second at top speed, making braking particularly difficult. During the World Humanoid Robot Games, high-speed robots sometimes crashed into barriers after completing their runs because the available stopping distance was limited. Guo said future versions could be lighter, brake more aggressively and use safer body positions.
Reliability is another challenge. Ultra arrived at the competition with three different running strategies trained through simulation, but programs that performed well during testing did not always behave the same way on the competition track. Differences between individual robots also created problems. Engineers repeatedly returned to testing facilities between races to adjust motion and navigation systems, with some working through the night to prepare the machines for their next run.
China’s Humanoid Robotics Push
The TianGong project is part of a much wider push by Chinese companies and research groups to develop commercially useful humanoid robots. China has built a deep domestic supply chain for robotics while government support, private investment and competition among manufacturers have accelerated development.
The challenge now is moving beyond demonstrations and isolated achievements. Humanoid robots must be able to operate safely for long periods, understand changing environments, manipulate objects accurately and make decisions without constant human intervention. X-Humanoid sees smaller humanoids such as Omni potentially entering commercial services and light industry first, while larger platforms such as Ultra could eventually be used for outdoor inspection and emergency rescue.
For X-Humanoid, the 8.64-second sprint is therefore better viewed as an engineering milestone than an end product. The harder race is now to make humanoid robots dependable enough to work alongside people, perform repetitive industrial tasks and operate in environments where conditions cannot be predicted in advance.
