STAR1 Robot Breaks Record with Sneakers, Reaches 8Mph in Gobi Desert Test

A
new

humanoid
robot
from
China
has
set
a
record
by
running
at
a
top
speed
of
just
over
8
miles
per
hour
(3.6
metres
per
second).
This
makes
it
the
fastest
bipedal
robot
to
date,
although
this
feat
was
only
achieved
with
the
help
of
a
pair
of
specially
added
trainers.
Known
as
STAR1,
the
robot
was
developed
by
Robot
Era,
a
Chinese
company
focused
on
advanced
robotics.
STAR1
stands
at
5
feet
7
inches
tall
(171
cm)
and
weighs
143
pounds
(65
kg).

The
test
in
the
Gobi
Desert

In
a
demonstration
video,

Robot
Era
put
two
STAR1
robots
to
the
test
in
the
Gobi
Desert,
located
in
northwestern
China.
One
of
the
robots
was
equipped
with
sneakers,
while
the
other
was
not,
to
measure
if
the
footwear
would
impact
performance.
Powered
by
high-torque
motors
and

AI
algorithms,
the
robot
with
shoes
was
able
to
navigate
challenging
terrains
such
as
grass,
gravel,
and
pavement.
It
maintained
a
consistent
top
speed
for
34
minutes.

Beating
previous
records

The
top
speed
of
8
mph
allowed
STAR1
to
break
the
record
set
earlier
by
Unitree’s
H1
robot,
which
reached
a
maximum
of
7.4
mph
(3.3
m/s)
in
March
2024.
Notably,
the
H1
robot
did
not
technically
run,
as
its
feet
never
left
the
ground
entirely
during
movement.

STAR1’s
powerful
AI
and
design

Robot
Era
boasts
that

STAR1
is
powered
by
AI
hardware
capable
of
275
trillion
operations
per
second
(TOPS),
which
is
significantly
more
than
what
you’d
find
in
most
high-end
laptops.
Additionally,
the
robot
has
12
degrees
of
freedom,
providing
a
wide
range
of
movement
through
its
numerous
joints.
The
STAR1
is
just
one
of
several
humanoid
robots
developed
recently,
with
other
notable
models
including
Tesla’s
Optimus
Gen-2,
the
Figure
01,
and
Boston
Dynamics’
latest
Atlas
robot.