Unitree Robotics unveiled its ‘Superman’ humanoid robot on Monday, claiming a reported top running speed of 12.66 meters per second and a two-meter standing high jump — figures that would surpass every human on record. The debut comes just two days before the company begins publicly trading in Shanghai, following one of the most oversubscribed technology listings the market has seen. It also adds a high-profile product showcase at a moment when investors are already focused on how Chinese robotics companies are translating technical progress into sales, scale, and repeatable hardware.

‘Superman’ posts record-beating numbers

According to Unitree, Superman cleared a two-meter standing high jump on legs measuring 0.85 meters and reached a top speed of 12.66 m/s, equivalent to 45.6 km/h. The human marks it reportedly beats are a 1.8-meter standing jump and a 12.4 m/s sprint.

Usain Bolt reached a maximum speed of 12.42 m/s during his 2009 world-record race, meaning the ‘Superman’ robot is faster than the world’s fastest man ever managed — if Unitree’s figures hold true. The company has not released any independent verification for the numbers, which come from a company video rather than an independently measured event.

Unitree New Robot Preview: “Superman” Breaking the Limits of Humanity🥳 Standing high jump 2 m, top speed 12.66 m/s (0.85 m leg length) Surpassing the standing high jump and running speed records of all humans around the world This new machine has only been in development for a… pic.twitter.com/12i80ITU6p

— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) August 17, 2026

Three months of development

Unitree said its engineers built the robot in a little over three months, and that the humanoid’s current hardware still leaves plenty of room for improvement. Company founder Wang Xingxing hinted at the possibility back in March at the Yabuli China Entrepreneurs Forum, predicting that humanoid machines would break human sprint limits by mid-2026. He cited cheaper parts and better algorithms as the reason such a breakthrough was possible.

Weeks earlier, the robotics company introduced the As2W, a wheeled quadruped robot built for cargo. The As2W weighs 25 kilograms, can carry a recorded maximum load of 180 kilograms, and can move cargo loads of up to 16 kilograms continuously.

Unitree IPO days away

Unitree priced its upcoming IPO at 150.8 yuan and raised about 6.1 billion yuan — nearly $905 million — in a deal that values the company at roughly $9 billion. The offering was oversubscribed by more than 5,000 times, and the company raised 45% more than the 4.2 billion yuan it had initially targeted.

Revenue also underpins the valuation. Sales hit 1.7 billion yuan last year, more than four times the 2024 figure, with net profit of 591 million yuan. Unitree sold more than 5,500 humanoid units across its G1, H1, and R1 models in 2025, with most of those going to research labs and entertainment buyers rather than factories and manufacturers. That mix helps explain why new performance demos draw so much attention: the company is not only pitching capability, but also signaling how far its systems have come ahead of a public-market debut.