China's humanoid robots perform wall-running martial arts stunts at Lunar New Year spectacle

Humanoid robots show off creepily impressive kung-fu moves during Lunar New Year festival in China

Improvements to the AI that powers Unitree's H2 and G1 humanoid robots, alongside mechanical upgrades, have resulted in a dazzling kung-fu demonstration. Humanoid robots have taken part in the world's first fully autonomous martial arts performance to mark the Lunar New Year. In new footage from the 2026 Spring Festival Gala in Beijing, Unitree Robotics' G1 and H2 machines can be seen performing complex acrobatics and wielding weapons. The machines performed several world firsts, Unitree representatives said in a statement, including the first continuous freestyle table-vaulting parkour, the first launched aerial flip with a maximum height approaching approximately 10 feet (3 meters), and a two-step wall-assisted backflip. The two robot models were also equipped with new dextrous hands to support the rapid switching between different body positions and transitions between tricks, as well as to grapple surfaces and handle martial arts props. The robots' performance is a marked improvement on demonstrations at the same festival in 2025, where the machines looked stiff and clumsy, with clunky transitions between different routines. Company representatives said the improvements result from artificial intelligence (AI) improvements alongside new lidar (light detection and ranging) processing, alongside mechanical upgrades to the robots themselves. They represent an advancement in the field of embodied AI, in which scientists attempt to give robots tools to better understand and navigate the physical world. "The performance draws its inspiration from a tribute to traditional Chinese martial arts," Unitree representatives said in a technical blog post. "The concept centers on fusing the martial arts spirit with modern technology, using robotic performances to present the power and beauty of Wushu [the Chinese term for martial arts] while conveying the message of cultural inheritance and innovation. It aims to showcase Chinese Kung Fu culture alongside technological progress to the world." Company engineers had been preparing for the performance since November 2025. Scientists pretrained a stunt-motion model using extensive training data from an array of stunts, which subsequently improved the standard of fine-tuning to get the robots up to speed. They also upgraded the cluster control platform -- a system for coordinating dozens of robots at once that involves network communication, different operating systems, embedded devices and software engineering elements. This allowed for end-to-end automation, from AI-planned choreography planning to the real-time multirobot coordination, with millisecond-level synchronization. In terms of robotic motion, the engineers ensured that the robots could navigate their environment, which involved a lidar-based localization algorithm that could improve how accurately they positioned themselves. Another pretrained high-speed-movement model then ensured they could track their target positions stably and quickly and complete the desired movement with human-like gaits. The machines' design also played a role in the improvements. The engineers upgraded the motors to boost maximum performance and then configured them to adapt to the new movements. Examples of specific improvements include higher power density for core joint motors, optimized limb robustness, and more dextrous hands. Although the martial arts display was designed primarily for entertainment, company representatives said the movements and actions demonstrate real-world utility. For example, the cluster control platform could be a key step in enabling several robots to coordinate within a variety of environments without human intervention.

Chinese Robots Can Now Run Up Walls

While humanoid robots have a long way to go to prove useful in our day-to-day lives, they've at least made leaps and bounds in showing off their agility on stage. Case in point, the televised Spring Festival Gala put on by the state-run China Media Group over the weekend featured an impressive synchronized martial arts routine. Organizers were even confident enough to put the well-being of children on the line, having young performers spar with a small army of nunchuck- and spear-wielding Unitree G1 robots. At one point, several of the robots can be seen performing a wall flip, an impressive feat that involves them literally running up a temporary wall on stage. (You can check it out for yourself at the 3:16 mark in the video embedded below.) It's a dazzling performance, showcasing how far the country's robotics industry has come in a few short years, a massive surge in interest that has even led to the country's regulators warning of an impending bubble as an influx of robotics companies risks crowding one another out. Users on social media immediately noticed an enormous technological leap, comparing this year's performance to a far less impressive appearance a mere year ago, which saw less sophisticated humanoid robots awkwardly shuffling on stage while waving red handkerchiefs. "Humanoids ⁠bundle a ⁠lot of China's strengths into one narrative: AI capability, hardware supply chain, and manufacturing ambition," Beijing-based tech analyst Poe Zhao told Reuters of the performance. "They are also the most 'legible' form factor for the public and officials." Whether the rest of the world, including Elon Musk's Tesla, which is developing its own Optimus robot, can keep up with China remains to be seen. For one, Optimus robots still heavily rely on human remote operators. "By far, the biggest competition for humanoid robots will be from China," Musk told investors during an earnings call earlier this year. "China is good at manufacturing, and also in AI, judging from open models." "To the best of my knowledge, we don't see significant competition outside of China," he added. "People outside of China underestimate China, but China's an ass-kicker next-level." However, whether all of that martial arts expertise can be translated into actually-useful skills -- arming robots with nunchucks isn't exactly going to give China an edge on the battlefield, the workforce, or domestic labor -- is still a wide-open question. Robotics companies are struggling to get their humanoid robots to adjust to the messy reality of daily life on the fly, and are only starting to make some progress. In other words, while having robots sparring with children live on stage as part of a well-rehearsed choreography is unquestionably impressive, reliably doing chores around the house could prove far more difficult in the long run -- even for China. "Cool," one Reddit user commented on the latest martial arts performance. "Can I please get one that just cleans my house and does the laundry?"

China's humanoid robots take center stage for Lunar New Year showtime

BEIJING -- China's most-watched TV show, the annual CCTV Spring Festival gala, on Monday showcased the country's cutting-edge industrial policy and Beijing's push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing. Four rising humanoid robot startups -- Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab -- demonstrated their products at the gala, a televised event and touchstone for China comparable to the Super Bowl for the United States. The program's first three sketches prominently featured humanoid robots, including a lengthy martial arts demonstration where over a dozen Unitree humanoids performed sophisticated fight sequences waving swords, poles and nunchucks in close proximity to human children performers. The fight sequences included a technically ambitious one that imitated the wobbly moves and backward falls of China's "drunken boxing" martial arts style, showing innovations in multi-robot coordination and fault recovery -- where a robot can get up after falling down. The program's opening sketch also prominently featured ByteDance's AI chatbot Doubao, while four Noetix humanoid robots appeared alongside human actors in a comedy skit and MagicLab robots performed a synchronized dance with human performers during the song "We Are Made in China." The hype surrounding China's humanoid robot sector comes as major players including AgiBot and Unitree prepare for initial public offerings this year, and domestic artificial intelligence startups release a raft of frontier models during the lucrative nine-day Lunar New Year public holiday. Last year's gala stunned viewers with 16 full-size Unitree humanoids twirling handkerchiefs and dancing in unison with human performers. Unitree's founder met President Xi Jinping weeks later at a high-profile tech symposium, the first of its kind since 2018. Xi has met five robotics startup founders in the past year, comparable to the four electric vehicle and four semiconductor entrepreneurs he met in the same timeframe, giving the nascent sector unusual visibility. The CCTV show, which drew 79% of live TV viewership in China last year, has for decades been used to highlight Beijing's tech ambitions, including its space program, drones and robotics, said Georg Stieler, Asia managing director and head of robotics and automation at technology consultancy Stieler. "What distinguishes the gala from comparable events elsewhere is the directness of the pipeline from industrial policy to prime-time spectacle," Stieler said. "Companies that appear on the gala stage receive tangible rewards in government orders, investor attention, and market access." "It's been just one year -- and the performance jump is striking," said Stieler, adding that the robots' impressive motion control showed Unitree's focus on developing robot "brains" -- the AI-powered software that enables them to complete fine motor tasks that can be used in real-world factory settings. Behind the spectacle of robots running marathons and executing kung-fu kicks and backflips, China has positioned robotics and AI at the heart of its next-generation AI+ manufacturing strategy, betting that productivity gains from automation will offset pressures from its aging work force. "Humanoids bundle a lot of China's strengths into one narrative: AI capability, hardware supply chain, and manufacturing ambition. They are also the most 'legible' form factor for the public and officials," said Beijing-based tech analyst Poe Zhao. "In an early market, attention becomes a resource." China accounted for 90% of the roughly 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally last year, far ahead of U.S. rivals including Tesla's Optimus, according to research firm Omdia. Morgan Stanley projects that China's humanoid sales will more than double to 28,000 units this year. Elon Musk has said he expects his biggest competitor to be Chinese companies as he pivots Tesla toward a focus on embodied AI and its flagship humanoid Optimus. "People outside China underestimate China, but China is an ass-kicker next level," Musk said last month.

China's humanoid robots take centre stage for Lunar New Year showtime

China's most-watched TV show, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, highlighted its leadership in humanoid robots. Several Chinese startups demonstrated advanced robots, showcasing the nation's manufacturing prowess. China's most-watched TV show, the annual CCTV Spring Festival gala, on Monday showcased the country's cutting-edge industrial policy and Beijing's push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing. Four rising humanoid robot startups - Unitree Robotics, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab - demonstrated their products at the gala, a televised event and touchstone for China comparable to the Super Bowl for the United States. The programme's first three sketches ⁠prominently ⁠featured humanoid robots, including a lengthy martial arts demonstration where over a dozen Unitree humanoids performed sophisticated fight sequences waving swords, poles and nunchucks in close proximity to human children performers. The fight sequences included a technically ambitious one that imitated the wobbly moves and backward falls of China's "drunken boxing" martial arts style, showing innovations in multi-robot coordination and fault recovery - where a robot can get up after falling down. The programme's opening sketch also prominently featured Alibaba's AI chatbot Doubao, while four Noetix humanoid robots appeared alongside human actors in a comedy skit and MagicLab robots performed a synchronised dance with human performers during the song "We Are Made in China". The hype surrounding China's humanoid robot sector ⁠comes as major players including AgiBot and Unitree prepare for initial public offerings this year, and domestic artificial intelligence startups release a raft of frontier models during the lucrative nine-day Lunar New Year public holiday. Last year's gala stunned viewers with 16 full-size ⁠Unitree humanoids twirling handkerchiefs and dancing in unison with human performers. Unitree's founder met President Xi Jinping weeks later at a high-profile tech symposium - the first of its kind since 2018. Xi has met five robotics startup founders in the past year, comparable to the four electric vehicle and four semiconductor entrepreneurs he met in the same timeframe, giving the nascent sector unusual visibility. The CCTV show, which drew 79% of live TV viewership in China last year, has for decades been used to highlight Beijing's tech ambitions, including its space programme, drones and robotics, said Georg Stieler, Asia managing director and head of robotics and automation at technology consultancy Stieler. "What distinguishes the gala from comparable events elsewhere is the directness of the pipeline from industrial policy to prime-time spectacle," Stieler said. "Companies that appear on the gala stage receive tangible rewards in government orders, investor attention, and market access." China's strengths Behind the spectacle of robots running marathons and executing kung-fu kicks and backflips, China has positioned robotics and AI at the heart of its next-generation ⁠AI+ manufacturing strategy, betting that productivity gains from automation will offset pressures from its ageing workforce. "Humanoids bundle a lot of China's strengths into one narrative: AI capability, hardware supply chain, and manufacturing ambition. They are also the most 'legible' form factor for the public and officials," said Beijing-based tech analyst Poe Zhao. "In an early market, attention becomes a resource." China accounted for 90% of the roughly 13,000 humanoid robots shipped globally last year, far ahead of U.S. rivals including Tesla's Optimus, according to research firm Omdia. Morgan Stanley projects that China's humanoid sales will more than double to 28,000 units this year. Elon Musk has said he expects his biggest competitor to be Chinese companies as he pivots Tesla toward a focus on embodied AI and its flagship humanoid Optimus. "People outside China underestimate China, but China is an ass-kicker next level," Musk said last month.