Chinese robotics firm Unitree revealed a humanoid robot it calls 'Superman', claiming a top speed of 12.66 metres per second — faster than Usain Bolt's peak during his 2009 world record sprint. The company says the machine, developed in just over three months, clears a two-metre standing high jump and can host up to three Nvidia AI modules. The base price is around $16,000.
The unveiling coincides with Unitree's debut on Shanghai's STAR Market on Wednesday, following a 6.1 billion yuan ($905 million) initial public offering priced at 150.8 yuan per share. Retail demand exceeded supply by more than 8,000 times, setting a record for the tech-focused board. The IPO values the company near $9 billion, roughly 36 times its 2025 sales of 1.7 billion yuan.
Founder Wang Xingxing, backed by Tencent, Alibaba and DeepSeek, had predicted in March that humanoid machines would break human sprint limits by mid-year. Unitree has cumulatively delivered about 18,000 bipedal robots as of July.