Chinese Robot Shatters 400-Meter World Record in Beijing

Engadget was blunt about the state of the technology: the robots "looked absolutely ridiculous doing it," the outlet wrote, noting that after their sprints they slammed into pads and some had to be stretchered off the course. It cautioned against expecting commercial uses yet.

Spectators laughed on Sunday when a humanoid in a boxing ring stumbled sideways and folded over the ropes, where it lay motionless until humans lifted it away, the Daily Mail reported.

Hou Yali, a 72-year-old retired Beijing resident who pays aides to clean her home and cook for her each week, told reporters she wants to see machines race humans directly. "Right now, this is just running, just a competition of speed. It's not a test of intelligence, or hiring someone to do household tasks or act as live-in help," she said, adding that "with the development of our country's economy, people have more money in their pockets, and they may decide to use robots."

The Independent framed the games as a showcase of China's rapid advances in robotics amid a tech race with the United States. ZeroHedge, covering the same event, ran it under the headline "Civilizational Suicide," contrasting Chinese robot progress with American fights over data centers and socialism.