BEIJING: A Chinese humanoid robot named STAR1 has been declared the fastest in the world after reaching a top speed of just over 8 miles per hour (3.6 meters per second), aided by a pair of sneakers. This achievement positions the robot, developed by the Chinese company Robot Era, as a leader in the field of bipedal robotic speed.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the STAR1 robot stands at 5 feet 7 inches (171 centimeters) and weighs 143 pounds (65 kilograms). In a promotional video, STAR1 was put to the test in the Gobi Desert, where two units of the robot raced against each other. The experiment revealed that providing one of the robots with sneakers enabled it to navigate various terrains, such as grassland and gravel, and maintain its top speed for 34 minutes.

The previous speed record for a bipedal robot belonged to Unitree’s H1, which achieved 7.4 mph (3.3 m/s) in March 2024. However, STAR1’s running form-assisted by sneakers-allowed both feet to leave the ground simultaneously, a distinction
that was not achieved by H1.

The impressive speed and agility of STAR1 are attributed to its high-torque motors and artificial intelligence algorithms. The robot’s AI hardware is capable of processing 275 trillion operations per second (TOPS), far surpassing the typical processing power found in high-end laptops, which ranges from 45 to 55 TOPS. Additionally, STAR1 features 12 degrees of freedom, indicating the number of joints and range of movements it possesses.