During the second World Humanoid Robot Games, the Tiangong Omni robot captured widespread attention on August 23rd by clinching the gold medal in the 400-meter small-class race with a time of 45.66 seconds. Its distinctive running form, featuring one hand covering its face while sprinting, became a hot topic among spectators and online viewers alike.

Following the competition, the development team behind Tiangong Omni revealed in a conversation with media that this quirky posture was not a result of human programming. Instead, the robot autonomously adopted this style during its training phase, identifying it as a more energy-efficient way to move.

"Our initial training involved demonstrating a standard human running gait, but as the robot learned, it determined that this particular posture offered better coordination. Swinging its arms seemed more tiring, whereas twisting its waist and hips felt more comfortable. So this movement is essentially something it iterated on by itself—it wasn't captured from a human performer," a team member explained.

He further noted that this self-developed running style could also boost the robot's speed performance. "When the arm swing is fast, the shoulders can stretch out more fully, which improves heat dissipation and reduces energy consumption," he added.