Zhejiang University has officially set a new Guinness World Record after its quadruped robot, White Rhino, sprinted 100 meters (328 feet) in 16.33 seconds, shattering the previous record of 19.87 seconds held by South Korea’s Hound.
The record-breaking run took place at a dedicated test site in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, and was validated by Guinness World Records officials.
Engineers at Zhejiang University say White Rhino’s speed is a result of cutting-edge advancements in robotics, including high-torque lightweight actuators, adaptive control algorithms, and real-time terrain sensing.
“For a quadruped robot, maintaining stability at high speeds is extremely challenging,” said the development team. “White Rhino’s success brings us one step closer to deploying robots for rescue, exploration, and logistics in complex environments.”
While still far from Usain Bolt’s human world record of 9.58 seconds set in 2009, White Rhino’s achievement marks a significant leap in robotic mobility and agility.
Experts believe breakthroughs like this could revolutionize industries from disaster response to defense, where speed and precision in rough terrain are crucial.
