On 25 August 2026, a Chinese humanoid robot ran 100 metres in 8.86 seconds, faster than the fastest recorded human time, and then hit the padded finish barrier and fell. Three days earlier, at the same competition, another robot hit the barrier at the finish line and caught fire, unable either to stop itself or to put itself out. The first set of facts explains why investors have been piling into Chinese robotics stocks. The second explains why that enthusiasm may be running ahead of what the machines can actually do.
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On 25 August 2026, a Chinese humanoid robot ran 100 metres in 8.86 seconds, faster than the fastest recorded human time, and then hit the padded finish barrier and fell. Three days earlier, at the same competition, another robot hit the barrier at the finish line and caught fire, unable either to stop itself or to put itself out. The first set of facts explains why investors have been piling into Chinese robotics stocks. The second explains why that enthusiasm may be running ahead of what the machines can actually do.
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