A new humanoid robot from China has set a record by running at a top speed of just over 8 miles per hour (3.6 metres per second). This makes it the fastest bipedal robot to date, although this feat was only achieved with the help of a pair of specially added trainers. Known as STAR1, the robot was developed by Robot Era, a Chinese company focused on advanced robotics. STAR1 stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall (171 cm) and weighs 143 pounds (65 kg).

The test in the Gobi Desert

In a demonstration video, Robot Era put two STAR1 robots to the test in the Gobi Desert, located in northwestern China. One of the robots was equipped with sneakers, while the other was not, to measure if the footwear would impact performance. Powered by high-torque motors and AI algorithms, the robot with shoes was able to navigate challenging terrains such as grass, gravel, and pavement. It maintained a consistent top speed for 34 minutes.

Beating previous records

The top speed of 8 mph allowed STAR1 to break the record set earlier by Unitree’s H1 robot, which reached a maximum of 7.4 mph (3.3 m/s) in March 2024. Notably, the H1 robot did not technically run, as its feet never left the ground entirely during movement.

STAR1’s powerful AI and design

Robot Era boasts that STAR1 is powered by AI hardware capable of 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS), which is significantly more than what you’d find in most high-end laptops. Additionally, the robot has 12 degrees of freedom, providing a wide range of movement through its numerous joints.
The STAR1 is just one of several humanoid robots developed recently, with other notable models including Tesla’s Optimus Gen-2, the Figure 01, and Boston Dynamics’ latest Atlas robot.