China’s robot dog sprints 328 feet in 16.33 seconds, breaks record

China’s Zhejiang University announced that its quadruped robot, White Rhino, set a new Guinness World Record by sprinting 100 meters (328 feet) in 16.33 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 19.87 seconds held by South Korea’s Hound robot. The run took place in Hangzhou and marks a significant advancement in robotic speed, narrowing the gap between machine and human sprint performance (Usain Bolt’s human record is 9.58 seconds). This achievement demonstrates the robot’s explosive power, speed, stability, and precise control during rapid movement. White Rhino was developed through a collaborative effort involving Zhejiang University’s Center for X-Mechanics, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center. The design process employed a “robot forward design” approach, using comprehensive dynamics simulations and multi-objective optimization to simultaneously refine geometry, motor specifications, and reduction systems. The robot features high-power-density joint actuators