A Chinese humanoid robot has stunned spectators at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing after completing the 100 metres in 9.39 seconds, faster than Usain Bolt’s long-standing human world record.

The robot, known as TienKung, was developed by the Beijing Centre for Humanoid Robotics and recorded the time during the competition on Saturday. Bolt set the men’s 100-metre world record of 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

Organisers described the robot’s performance as a major demonstration of the rapid progress being made in humanoid robotics, particularly in China.

“In one year alone the robots competing have become twice as fast,” the organisers said in a post on X. They noted that the winning time at last year’s event was 21.50 seconds.

The sharp improvement has drawn attention to the speed at which robotics companies are developing machines capable of performing tasks traditionally associated with humans.

The World Humanoid Robot Games are being held at Beijing’s National Speed Skating Oval, known as the “Ice Ribbon”. The second edition has attracted 666 teams and 2,056 robots from 16 countries.

Competitors are taking part in a wide range of events, including athletics, boxing, football, weightlifting and gymnastics.

Videos from the competition have spread across social media, with some clips showing robots struggling to remain upright or falling backwards after completing races. While the footage has attracted plenty of humour from viewers, organisers said the underlying technological progress should not be underestimated.

They said robots had been “slow, ponderous machines” at the inaugural games, with many struggling to finish sprint events. The latest performances, they argued, show how quickly the technology is developing.

China has placed humanoid robots among its strategic emerging industries, with companies and government officials increasingly focused on advancing artificial intelligence, robotics hardware and automated systems.

The rapid progress has also attracted significant interest from investors. Research from Morgan Stanley has estimated that the global humanoid robotics market could eventually reach $5 trillion by 2050.

The financial services group has also projected that more than one billion humanoid robots could be operating worldwide by that year.

China is expected to account for a substantial share of that growth. Morgan Stanley estimates that around 302.3 million humanoid robots could be in use in China by 2050.

The performance in Beijing adds to growing evidence of how quickly humanoid robots are improving, although their ability to match humans in everyday tasks remains a much larger challenge than setting a sprint time.

India has launched a major search and rescue operation in the Bay of Bengal after a cargo ship sank off the country’s eastern coast, leaving 22 crew members missing.

The Indian Coast Guard said the Panama-flagged MV Ocean Winner sent a distress alert on Saturday while sailing southeast of Paradip port in Odisha. Contact with the vessel was later lost, prompting authorities to begin an emergency response.

There were 24 people aboard the ship, including 20 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and one Bangladeshi national, according to the Coast Guard.

Two crew members have been rescued after being found in life rafts. They were taken for medical treatment while authorities worked to establish their identities and positions aboard the vessel.

The Coast Guard has deployed three ships to conduct surface searches for the remaining crew members. The operation is being coordinated with other agencies as authorities attempt to locate survivors in the surrounding waters.

India’s Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, said the vessel had been carrying iron ore from Paradip to China when it sank.

“All agencies are coordinating closely and actively doing search and rescue efforts,” Sonowal said in a post on X. He confirmed that two survivors had been rescued and were receiving medical care.

“My prayers for the safety of the remaining crew,” he added.

The circumstances that led to the ship sinking remain unclear. Officials have not yet provided details about weather conditions, mechanical problems or any other factors that may have contributed to the incident.

The Bay of Bengal is an important shipping route linking ports in India and other Asian countries. Paradip is one of India’s major ports and handles large volumes of bulk commodities, including iron ore and other raw materials.

The Coast Guard’s search involves vessels scanning the sea around the area where communication with the cargo ship was lost. Rescue teams are expected to continue searching for signs of life and additional life rafts.

The two rescued crew members could provide important information about what happened aboard the vessel before it went down. Authorities are expected to gather further details once their condition allows them to speak with investigators.

The incident has prompted concern among the families and colleagues of the missing crew members as the search continues. Indian authorities have not indicated how long the operation will continue, but rescue efforts remain focused on locating the 22 people still unaccounted for.