Will robots ever be faster than us?

 Nearly everyone knows the competition between the AI Deep Blue and former chess champion Garry Kasparov. Though many thought that AI would never be able to beat mankind, Deep Blue won each and every match. From then on, AI has grown even smarter and even faster. They can calculate faster than us and have undefeatable cognitive skills. For example, the AI platform ChatGPT has so much information stored and is even being used by scientists, students, and programmers for their projects or studies. Like this, AI and robots are higher than mankind regarding cognitive skills or activities. However, the same process is not yet as noticeable in physical activities.

 One example of this is running. So far, the Chinese humanoid robot H1 holds the record for the fastest robot with a maximum speed of 11mph. This is much faster than the original record holder(which recorded 5.9mph) and shows significant progress in robotics. However, this is mediocre compared to humans or animals. The average human sprint speed is 14 mph, still faster than robots. Usain Bolt, with a sprinting speed of 27 mph can run more than double the speed of robots. Compared to animals, robots become even more behind. With the cheetah able to run 75mph, robots catching up to animals almost seems impossible. Though in cognitive areas, robots excel, they are not as successful in physical activities.

So why are robots behind humans in the field of running? The system of running can be divided into 5 different fields, which are power, frame, actuation, sensing, and control. However, researchers at the University of Washington were shocked to find out that the artificial parts of robots excelled in all of these compared to animals' biological components. One example could be the component of power. Like how robots are replacing manual jobs, they excel in that individual field.

 Then what makes animals or humans more successful in physical sports such as running? Though it hasn't been discovered specifically, researchers suggest that it will probably be related to the fields of integration and control. For example, we could say there are two factory systems. One has better parts and machinery than the other. However, the parts of that one don't work well it each other and don't integrate effectively. Then even with better parts, that system will not do as well as one with weaker parts, but a strong connection. The human brain and nerves are so complex that neuroscientists still cannot understand them completely. That could also work for animals as well. Though AI may have better parts, the integration and the connection between the parts is what makes us outperform them. 

However, what shouldn't be ignored is the development of robotics in current society. Though they still underperform us, the current state is way more advanced than our evolution. Though our evolution has occurred for millions of years, the development of robots has only just started. But the progress that they show now may indicate that sooner or later, it will have the same outcome as it did for Deep Blue.