Humanoid robots perform live Kung Fu at China’s Spring Festival Gala | Watch Video | World News

China’s annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala turned into a global technology showcase this year as humanoid robots performed an intricate kung fu routine live on stage; It was a striking demonstration of the country’s advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.

Dozens of G1 humanoid robots developed by Unitree Robotics have performed what is described as the world’s first fully autonomous martial arts performance by machines, according to CGTN. The routine emphasized advances in movement control and balance by featuring rapid posture changes, tightly synchronized formations, and rapid spatial adjustments.

The premiere also unveiled Unitree’s H2 robot, which was displayed in its Great Sage armor at venues in Beijing and Yiwu and was mounted on a robotic dog performing the legendary “Plug Cloud” move as part of the festivities.

International news agency Reuters framed the show as more than entertainment, portraying it as a national platform for China’s industrial ambitions and its push to lead future smart manufacturing. In addition to Unitree, the broadcast also featured demonstrations from emerging humanoid robot companies such as Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab.

Many segments blended cutting-edge robotics with traditional performance art. In an extended martial arts stage, more than a dozen humanoid children wielding swords, staffs and nunchucks performed complex fighting moves simultaneously with the actors. The choreography even recreated the unbalanced swings and backward rolls of “drunken boxing”; This demonstrates progress in multi-robot coordination and systems that enable machines to regain balance after a fall.

Elsewhere in the programme, ByteDance’s AI chatbot Doubao was featured in the opening sketch. Noetix robots joined the cast in the comedy segment, while MagicLab machines performed a synchronized dance to the song “We Are Made in China.”

Reacting to the demonstration in

Kanbur noted that last year the humanoid robots made their first appearance on the Gala stage, but this year they performed “balanced, synchronized kung fu stances that will humble half of us after leg day. And they did it live!!! At the most watched television event on the planet.”

Together, the performances offer a vivid glimpse of how China envisions the next era of automation, signaling a shift in humanoid robotics from research laboratories to mainstream cultural stages.