Robots can now run a half-marathon faster than humans and are rapidly homing in on the 100-metre sprint record. But why are companies so keen to create speedy robots that have no obvious application in homes or factories?

For decades, humanoid robots have lived behind safety cages in factories or deep inside research labs. Fauna Robotics, a New York-based robotics startup, says that era is ending. The company has introduced Sprout, a compact humanoid robot designed from the ...

A video filmed by X user Daniel Bovensiepen shows a full-sized humanoid robot performing a dance routine on an outdoor stage during event activities in Beijing. The footage captures the robot wearing a bright,