Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled a new humanoid robot it calls "Superman," which it says is "breaking the limits of humanity." The robot can perform a standing vertical jump of over 2 meters (6.5 feet) and reach a top speed of 12.66 meters per second (45.6 km/h or 28.3 mph) — both surpassing human world records.
The robot achieves these feats with legs measuring just 85 centimeters long. According to Unitree, the Superman robot was developed in a remarkably short timeframe, demonstrating the rapid pace of Chinese robotics engineering.
The unveiling came just days after Unitree's explosive stock market debut on Shanghai's STAR Market, where shares surged nearly 600% after the company's IPO was more than 8,000 times oversubscribed by retail investors. The combination of cutting-edge robotics capability and massive investor enthusiasm has made Unitree the face of China's humanoid robot ambitions.
The Superman robot represents a significant advancement in humanoid mobility. A 2-meter standing high jump from a humanoid form factor would surpass the human world record of approximately 1.87 meters set by Javier Sotomayor in 1993. The top speed of 12.66 m/s would also exceed Usain Bolt's top speed during his 100-meter world record sprint.
The demonstration underscores the accelerating pace of Chinese robotics development, with companies moving rapidly from prototype demonstrations to production-ready systems capable of outperforming human physical capabilities.
