Sawt Falasteen - Humanoids break records at Beijing Robot Games

Dozens of humanoids and their human operators descended on Beijing's Olympic speed skating arena Sunday to compete in events from athletics and boxing to football and martial arts.

During Saturday's opening ceremony, a Chinese robot broke Jamaican legend Usain Bolt's record for the 100-metre dash, a feat splashed across headlines in Chinese state media.

The white and headless humanoid called Tiangong Ultra finished the sprint in 9.39 seconds according to state broadcaster CCTV -- surpassing Bolt's best of 9.58 seconds, set in 2009.

On Sunday, robot-makers scored another win, with the same humanoid model shattering the 400-metre world record by nearly five seconds.

Developed by a local government-backed research centre in Beijing, it finished in 38.16 seconds -- with its time later revised to 38.15.

In one 400-metre heat, a white-shelled robot thrashed its arms side to side as it propelled itself around the track, leaning dangerously forward as fans wondered out loud if it would fall.

The robot wobbled as it stormed toward the finish but managed to remain upright.

Fans were just as pleased to watch the robo-athletes flop, as multiple robotic runners failed to start.

Others made their way around the track at the pace of a brisk walk or crumbled immediately after the gun start.

Children and their parents giggled as a toddler-sized robot kicked a football off the pitch over knee-high barricades.

- 'It's not a test of intelligence'-

Each clunky, barely defended goal earned the waddling humanoids roars of applause from the stands.

Spectators erupted into laughter as a humanoid in a boxing ring stumbled off to the side and folded over the ropes where it stayed motionless until humans lifted it away.

For 72-year-old spectator Hou Yali, the weekend's robot records left her wanting to watch the machines go against humans.

"We'll be able to see more clearly whether machines can surpass humans," said Hou, who is retired and lives in Beijing.

"Right now, this is just running, just a competition of speed. It's not a test of intelligence, or hiring someone to do household tasks or act as live-in help," she said.

Hou, who pays aides to clean her home and make meals for her weekly, said she would like to see robots do those tasks.

"With the development of our country's economy, people have more money in their pockets, and they may decide to use robots," she said.

H.Darwish--SF-PST