Chinese researchers have introduced a new humanoid robot capable of reaching a top speed of nearly 13 kilometers per hour, establishing it as the fastest robot of its kind. These speeds were attained with the aid of specialized footwear.
The bipedal robot, named STAR1, was developed by the Chinese company Robot Era. It stands 1.71 meters tall and weighs 65 kilograms. In a promotional video, two humanoid robots were set to race in the Gobi Desert, located in northwest China. One of the robots was equipped with sneakers to evaluate the impact of footwear on its running performance.
STAR1, powered by high-torque motors and advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, successfully navigated diverse terrains—including grasslands, gravel, and both paved and dirt roads—while sustaining its top speed for 34 minutes.
With a maximum speed of 12.8 kilometers per hour (equivalent to 3.6 meters per second), STAR1 surpassed the previous record held by Unitree’s H1 robot, which had set a speed of 11.9 kilometers per hour (3.3 meters per second) in March 2024. Although STAR1’s performance was enhanced by the use of sneakers, it is noteworthy that the H1 robot was not technically running, as its feet did not leave the ground simultaneously during its movements.
STAR1 is equipped with AI hardware capable of processing 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS), significantly exceeding the typical processing power of leading laptops, which generally range between 45 and 55 TOPS. Furthermore, the robot boasts 12 degrees of freedom, referring to the number of joints and the range of movements it can execute.
The STAR1 robot is among several humanoid robots that have been introduced by companies globally in recent months. Notable examples include Tesla’s Optimus Gen-2, the AI-driven Figure 01, and the latest version of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas.