A humanoid robot showing off dance moves accidentally struck a young boy in the face after one of its flailing arms caught him off guard. The Unitree Robotics G1 model, performing in Shaanxi province on March 21, continued its programmed routine in the centre of the ring even after handlers moved the machine away.
Weighing about 35 kg and priced from roughly $13,500, the G1 is marketed for research, education and commercial use.
A widely shared social media post summed up the reaction with dark humour: “Robot uprising also start small, maybe a slap here, a kick there. All to desensitize humans.” Netizens called the performance dangerous, noting the child saw the arm but couldn’t get out of the way, and that being struck by metal is painful. Others said the incident was evidence such machines are not ready for unsupervised public use.
This was not an isolated episode for the company. Earlier this year a Unitree robot accidentally kicked its human handler, and another was detained by police in Macau after it frightened an elderly woman.
