At the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on August 23, 2026, the robot Tiangong Omni won gold in the 400-meter sprint final in the small group. Time: 45,66 seconds.
Video of its run quickly spread online. The robot ran leaning forward with its arms raised close to its face. Viewers compared the pose to a 'shy person hiding behind their hands' or a 'socially anxious sprint'.
Developers from Beijing-based company X-Humanoid explained that the robot came up with this gait on its own. Engineers initially programmed human-like arm swings, but during reinforcement learning in simulation, Tiangong Omni found a more efficient variant.
Hip rotations and movement through the waist required less energy, reduced heating in the shoulder joints, and helped maintain balance at high speed. The forward lean shifted the center of gravity forward, also speeding up the run.
On the same day, another robot from the same company, Tiangong Ultra, won the final in the large group in 38,15 seconds. That is faster than the human record for 400 meters, held by Wayde van Niekerk since 2016 (43,03 seconds).
The Games run from August 22 to 26 in Beijing. More than two thousand robots from 16 countries are participating. Sprint competitions now require full autonomy: robots perceive their surroundings, make decisions, and control movement without remote control.
Why did the robot choose such an unusual pose rather than the classic sprinting style?
Developers note that such 'non-human' solutions are appearing more often as machines learn autonomously. This opens the way to unexpected applications in various fields.
