During a public demonstration in Shaanxi province on March 21, a Unitree Robotics G1 humanoid performing a dance accidentally struck a young boy in the face when one of its flailing arms caught him off guard. Handlers moved to remove the machine, but the robot continued its programmed routine in the center of the ring before being taken away.
The G1 model weighs about 35 kg and is sold from roughly $13,500, marketed for research, education and commercial applications. Video of the incident was widely shared on social media, where reactions ranged from alarm to dark humor — one widely reposted comment read, “Robot uprising also start small, maybe a slap here, a kick there. All to desensitize humans.”
Critics called the performance dangerous, noting the child saw the arm but could not get out of the way and that being struck by metal can be painful. Others argued the episode shows such machines are not yet safe for unsupervised public use. The incident follows earlier reports this year of a Unitree robot accidentally kicking its handler and another unit being detained by police in Macau after frightening an elderly woman.
