Chinese humanoid robots break human records, including Usain Bolt's

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Models showing their robotic dogs with fancy dressing at a booth during the World Robot Conference at the Beiren Yichuang International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China’s robot dogs and humanoids dazzle Beijing crowd amid U.S. security fears

SHANGHAI, CHINA - JULY 31: A humanoid robot is displayed during the 23rd China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference (ChinaJoy2026) at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on July 31, 2026 in Shanghai, China. The event, themed

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A worker reacts near a line of humanoid robots displayed at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Last month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots. The FCC cited national security reasons in a move that targeted China. The Pentagon recently added Unitree, one of China’s leading humanoid robot makers, to its list of companies that it deemed have ties with the Chinese military. Beijing has rejected the accusations.

At Saturday’s opening of the robot games, the organizer and robot makers said that Chinese humanoid robots defeated human world records, as hundreds of humanoid robots marched in formation onto the field in a massive display of synchronized coordination.

Experts say humanoid robots are still mostly used for demonstrations, performances and research — at least for now — and it will still take time to achieve mass real-world deployment.

Some spectators at the robot games said they were excited about the humanoid robots’ quickly improving abilities.

Humanoid robots are “evolving rapidly,” said Li Yanfeng, an education worker and a Beijing resident.

“At first, I wasn’t very accepting of artificial intelligence. I was even a bit resistant to it, because of the possibility that it might replace or displace humans,” she said. “But now that I see this development is unstoppable, I decided to come and take a look.”