A new humanoid robot claims remarkable athletic feats, but its headline performance figures remain unverified, relying on a company demonstration video rather than independent testing.
Unitree’s new humanoid robot, dubbed “Superman”, claims to have achieved impressive running and jumping performances, including a top speed of 12.66 metres per second and a two-metre standing vertical jump. The figures would place the machine ahead of reported human records, although they have not been independently verified.
The reported running speed is equivalent to about 45.6 kilometres per hour, exceeding the 12.42 metres per second peak speed recorded by Usain Bolt during his 2009 100-metre world-record run. The robot’s claimed two-metre standing jump also surpasses the reported human record of 1.8 metres.
Unitree says the robot managed these performances despite having legs measuring only 0.85 metres long. However, the claims are based on a company demonstration video rather than independent testing, meaning the figures should be treated cautiously.
The demonstrations show the humanoid performing athletic movements in a controlled environment. Such tests highlight advances in robotic mobility, particularly in the ability of humanoid machines to combine speed, balance and powerful movement.
The announcement comes as Unitree has also opened its initial public offering subscription, pricing shares at $22 to raise roughly $900 million on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The development places greater attention on the company as it seeks to expand its presence in the rapidly developing humanoid robotics sector.
The reported achievements illustrate how quickly humanoid robots are advancing in physical capabilities. Running at high speed and performing a standing jump require sophisticated coordination between motors, sensors, control systems and mechanical components.
For now, however, the records remain company claims rather than independently confirmed achievements. Further testing by external researchers would be needed before the performances could be regarded as established records.
