Humanoid robots take center stage at China's Lunar New Year celebrations

People -- and robots -- are getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year in China

BEIJING (AP) -- It's not just people -- in China, the robots are also getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Friday was dress rehearsal day for four cute humanoid robots, each about 95 centimeters (3 feet) tall at a mall in western Beijing. Curious onlookers stopped to watch. Each robot got a colorful lion costume and within minutes the moves started: Bend the knees, up, to the left, to the right, shake the mask, and do it all again! Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different "fairs" and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props. For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and -- yes, again -- robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick -- coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack -- or playing soccer. "This year, the number of our robots has increased a lot," said Qiu Feng, a member of the organizing committee. "They will perform dance, martial arts, Peking Opera, poetry and soccer." "Some events were also available last year but the finness of the actions and the high-tech vibe are stronger" this time, Qui added. China has been scaling up its efforts to develop better robots that can perform different activities, powered by artificial intelligence and with less human intervention. But though they can now do things that were difficult to imagine a few years ago, humans are still needed to help them -- for example, to dress them or move them when they stop in the middle of a mini-soccer field. "Technology is developing faster and becoming more advanced every day," Qui also said. "As long as we keep up with this trend, our ... fair will continue to evolve and rise with the times." The robots performing at the mall were developed by some Chinese startups, like Booster Robotics. The company will display around 20 humanoid robots, which will also dance and play soccer. "It is an AI environment, which means, once the whistle sounds, the remote control will all be put aside and all its decision-making and motion control are made by the robots themselves," said Ren Zixin, director of marketing at Booster Robotics.

People -- and Robots -- Are Getting Ready to Celebrate the Lunar New Year in China

BEIJING (AP) -- It's not just people -- in China, the robots are also getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Friday was dress rehearsal day for four cute humanoid robots, each about 95 centimeters (3 feet) tall at a mall in western Beijing. Curious onlookers stopped to watch. Each robot got a colorful lion costume and within minutes the moves started: Bend the knees, up, to the left, to the right, shake the mask, and do it all again! Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different "fairs" and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props. For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and -- yes, again -- robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick -- coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack -- or playing soccer. "This year, the number of our robots has increased a lot," said Qiu Feng, a member of the organizing committee. "They will perform dance, martial arts, Peking Opera, poetry and soccer." "Some events were also available last year but the finness of the actions and the high-tech vibe are stronger" this time, Qui added. China has been scaling up its efforts to develop better robots that can perform different activities, powered by artificial intelligence and with less human intervention. But though they can now do things that were difficult to imagine a few years ago, humans are still needed to help them -- for example, to dress them or move them when they stop in the middle of a mini-soccer field. "Technology is developing faster and becoming more advanced every day," Qui also said. "As long as we keep up with this trend, our ... fair will continue to evolve and rise with the times." The robots performing at the mall were developed by some Chinese startups, like Booster Robotics. The company will display around 20 humanoid robots, which will also dance and play soccer. "It is an AI environment, which means, once the whistle sounds, the remote control will all be put aside and all its decision-making and motion control are made by the robots themselves," said Ren Zixin, director of marketing at Booster Robotics.

Chinese robot makers ready for Lunar New Year entertainment spotlight

On Sunday, Shanghai-based ⁠robotics start-up Agibot live-streamed an almost hour-long variety show featuring its robots dancing, performing acrobatics and magic, lip-syncing ballads and performing in comedy sketches. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section. In China, humanoid robots are serving as Lunar New Year entertainment, with their manufacturers pitching their song-and-dance skills to the general public as well as potential customers, investors and government officials. On Sunday, Shanghai-based ⁠robotics start-up Agibot live-streamed an almost hour-long variety show featuring its robots dancing, performing acrobatics and magic, lip-syncing ballads and performing in comedy sketches. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section. An estimated 1.4 million people watched on the Chinese streaming platform Douyin. Agibot, which called the promotional stunt "the world's first robot-powered gala," did not have an immediate estimate for total viewership. The show ran a week ahead of China's annual Spring Festival gala to be aired by state television, an event that has become an important - if unlikely - venue for Chinese robot makers to show off their success. A squad of 16 full-size humanoids from Unitree joined human dancers in performing at China Central Television's 2025 gala, drawing stunned accolades from millions of viewers. Less than three weeks later, Unitree's founder was invited to a high-profile symposium chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Hangzhou-based robotics firm has since been preparing for a potential initial public offering. This year's CCTV gala will include participation by four humanoid robot startups, Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab, the companies and broadcaster have said. Agibot's gala employed over 200 robots. It was streamed on social media platforms RedNote, Sina Weibo, TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin. Chinese-language television networks HTTV and iCiTi TV also broadcast the performance. "When robots begin to understand Lunar New Year and begin to have a sense of humour, the human-computer interaction may come faster than we think," Ma Hongyun, a photographer and writer with 4.8 million followers on Weibo, said in a post. Agibot, which says its humanoid robots are designed for a range of applications, including in education, entertainment and factories, plans to launch an initial public offering ⁠in Hong Kong, Reuters has ⁠reported. State-run Securities Times said Agibot had opted out of the CCTV gala in order to focus spending on research and development. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The company demonstrated two of its robots to Xi during a visit in April last year. U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, who has pivoted automaker Tesla toward a focus on artificial intelligence and the Optimus humanoid robot, has said the only competitive threat he faces in robotics is from Chinese firms. Like those rivals, Musk has also used stunts to promote Optimus, rolling out human-directed robots as bartenders at an event in 2024.

Chinese robot makers ready for Lunar New Year entertainment spotlight

BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) - In China, humanoid robots are serving as Lunar New Year entertainment, with their manufacturers pitching their song-and-dance skills to the general public as well as potential customers, investors and government officials. On Sunday, Shanghai-based robotics start-up Agibot live-streamed an almost hour-long variety show featuring its robots dancing, performing acrobatics and magic, lip-syncing ballads and performing in comedy sketches. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section. An estimated 1.4 million people watched on the Chinese streaming platform Douyin. Agibot, which called the promotional stunt "the world's first robot-powered gala," did not have an immediate estimate for total viewership. The show ran a week ahead of China's annual Spring Festival gala to be aired by state television, an event that has become an important - if unlikely - venue for Chinese robot makers to show off their success. A squad of 16 full-size humanoids from Unitree joined human dancers in performing at China Central Television's 2025 gala, drawing stunned accolades from millions of viewers. Less than three weeks later, Unitree's founder was invited to a high-profile symposium chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Hangzhou-based robotics firm has since been preparing for a potential initial public offering. This year's CCTV gala will include participation by four humanoid robot startups, Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab, the companies and broadcaster have said. Agibot's gala employed over 200 robots. It was streamed on social media platforms RedNote, Sina Weibo, TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin. Chinese-language television networks HTTV and iCiTi TV also broadcast the performance. "When robots begin to understand Lunar New Year and begin to have a sense of humour, the human-computer interaction may come faster than we think," Ma Hongyun, a photographer and writer with 4.8 million followers on Weibo, said in a post. Agibot, which says its humanoid robots are designed for a range of applications, including in education, entertainment and factories, plans to launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong, Reuters has reported. State-run Securities Times said Agibot had opted out of the CCTV gala in order to focus spending on research and development. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The company demonstrated two of its robots to Xi during a visit in April last year. U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, who has pivoted automaker Tesla toward a focus on artificial intelligence and the Optimus humanoid robot, has said the only competitive threat he faces in robotics is from Chinese firms. Like those rivals, Musk has also used stunts to promote Optimus, rolling out human-directed robots as bartenders at an event in 2024. (Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Jamie Freed)