The truth about the humanoid robot ‘making chaos in the room’

July 5, account Either Prabuwesi posted a video on TikTok, then spread to X, showing a humanoid robot from Unitree (China) continuously performing martial arts moves. Then, it suddenly turned around to attack the operator holding behind it, as well as kicking another person causing him to fall.

The video attracted more than 12.2 million views on TikTok and millions of views on other platforms, accompanied by many concerned comments. Some say the robots suffered from software errors and “ran amok” in the lab, while others envision machines that could go out of control and harm humans in the future.

However, Joko Prabuwesi, who lives in Indonesia, later corrected himself, saying the Unitree G1’s behavior was “simply pre-programmed, as part of a staged performance to highlight the agility, balance and reaction ability” of the humanoid robot. This person also confirmed that no one was injured or had health problems when affected by the robot.

Theo Interesting Engineeringalthough the performance was staged for entertainment purposes, the lively movements still sparked widespread discussion online, showing that the robot’s perfection was increasing, making it difficult for many people to distinguish between truth and joke.

G1 was launched in May 2024, has a compact size, 127 cm high and weighs 35 kg with a starting price of 14,240 USD in the Chinese market. The robot has 23-43 joint motors depending on configuration, with a maximum joint torque of 120 Nm.

G1 is equipped with a series of advanced sensors, 3D Lidar, RealSense depth camera and noise canceling microphone system for voice control. With a 9,000 mAh battery, the robot can operate for up to two hours and the battery can be replaced quickly. An 8-core processor controls the robot’s joint system, allowing flexible movement with a maximum walking speed of about 7.2 km/h. The robot is based on UnifoLM, an AI model developed by Unitree for robots, and supports reinforcement learning to control movement and perform tasks.

Previously, G1 was noted to cause “trouble” in many places. In June, when he “transformed” into a clown, he accidentally kicked a boy watching at an event in Xinjiang in the stomach. In May, the robot also had a problem during a performance when it tripped and fell to the ground, lost control and swung its arms and legs wildly. According to NDTVthe technical team behind said the robot was “confused” because there were too many people around, leading to loss of control.