PREVIEW

BY MARK WORGAN

Chinese robotics company Unitree has built a robot that can run faster than Usain Bolt - the first time an android running in human style has outsprinted a man.

The company unveiled the superhuman model on Monday, highlighting its athletic abilities in a promotional video.

In the 30-second clip, the robot also leaps about two metres into the air - higher than the human standing jump record of 1.7 metres, according to Guinness World Records.

Unitree also says the robot reached a top speed of 12.66 metres per second on a running track.

That would put it ahead of Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's top speed during his world-record 100m race in 2009. Bolt completed the race in 9.58 seconds and is estimated to have reached a maximum speed of about 12.2 metres per second.

“This new machine has only been in development for a little over three months,” boasted in a social media post, “with significant room for further improvement in the coming months.”

The robot's unusual, scuttling running style has also attracted attention.

Unitree's announcement comes as the company prepares to begin trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, following a highly anticipated initial public offering last week in which it raised more than $900m (£710m).

The flotation has been seen by some analysts as a possible sign of a wider wave of Chinese technology companies muscling in on their Silicon Valley counterparts with more innovative, cheaper technological innovations.

The announcement also comes days before the World Humanoid Robot Games are due to begin in Shanghai on 22 August.

Unitree dominated last year's inaugural Robot Games, winning four gold medals in the 100m, 400m and 1,500m races, as well as the 4x100m relay.

Like several other Chinese robotics companies, Unitree has used high-profile demonstrations to showcase its technology. Its robots have frequently been shown performing martial arts and drew international attention earlier this year for acrobatic combat moves during a televised performance alongside child performers.

The company is widely regarded as producing some of the world's most dexterous humanoid robots. However, questions remain over whether such technological displays can be translated into real-world applications beyond impressive demonstrations.