Heavy metal performance: Chinese robots take center stage

Homegrown high-tech humanoids are advancing in literal leaps and bounds.

There was a time when a dance performance being called robotic was seen as a criticism. Now, though, it's likely to send an audience into a frenzy.

Chinese humanoid robots are busting out show-stopping flips, tricks and twists, wowing crowds from atop the nation's biggest stages.

Just a year after their slightly awkward, but undeniably charming, handkerchief-waving debut at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, these dancing machines have leveled up their boogie game.

At a recent concert in Chengdu, Sichuan province, by the "King of Chinese Pop" Wang Leehom, six Unitree G1 robots delivered a synchronized street dance routine that ended with a jaw-dropping "Webster" flip. The gravity-defying move was so slick, it even caught the eye of Elon Musk, who reposted a video of it on X, calling the performance "impressive".

"The same robot could barely walk when I first bought it; six months later it could run, and now it can perform over a dozen routines, mostly popular street dances, and even give a demonstration of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do," said Lei Yonglin, who runs a business in Changsha, Hunan province, renting the robots to events and performance companies.

They "evolve" without the need for costly hardware upgrades. According to Lei, while a human performer might take days to master a particular choreography routine, a robot can "learn" it in just 30 minutes with just a simple software update.

Since starting the venture last February, he has built up a fleet of 12 robots — six humanoid machines and six robot dogs — all manufactured by leading Chinese robotics brands like Unitree and Engine AI, and business is booming.

The robots' diary is jam-packed with bookings for commercial performances, for which they command appearance fees ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 yuan ($420 to $700) per show.

So, why, given how seemingly adroit these machines are, does dancing and performing appear to be their prime directive?

Yao Qiyuan, cofounder of Engine AI, a robot manufacturer based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, explained that dancing is a strategic showcase. While the intricacies of robotics might be lost on the average person, the "flexibility of movement" provides easily understandable evidence of a machine's capabilities.

The company hit viral pay dirt in April last year, when American YouTuber iShowSpeed performed a dance routine with its T800 model during a visit to Shenzhen. The livestream racked up more than 38 million views, while clips of the encounter have added millions more.

Making its official global debut at last month's CES, the global consumer technology showcase in Las Vegas, Engine AI demonstrated the full body coordination and fine motor control capabilities of the T800, claiming "industry leading dynamic output and load-handling capability" in "high dynamic scenarios like martial arts and running".

Yao likens a robot's dancing to a health check: "If a person can dance every day, it shows they are in good physical shape. It's the same for robots," he said.

But he insisted that these literal leaps and bounds in robotic capability are not due to some "eureka" moment in a lab, but are the result of more standardized and stable technical processes.

"Humanoids have been iterating at a pace measured in weeks," added Zhao Yuli, chief strategy officer at Beijing-based Galbot. Her company's wheeled, dual-arm robots are already established fixtures in a number of industrial and commercial settings.

According to her, the industry is advancing on two key fronts: motion control (algorithms for stability and smooth movement) and the "autonomous brain", powered by embodied AI. The ultimate goal? A brilliant mind paired with a flexible body.

Yao emphasized the distinction between humanoid robots and traditional machines. "Factory robots don't need to look human. In some cases, a single arm can get the job done. They are just about labor," he explained.

"The human form allows an invitation into our personal spaces, and brings emotional value — just like human artists and actors."

And this year, again, they will be invited into the homes of millions of Chinese, as Unitree Robotics, Galaxy General Robot and Magic Atom have all been announced as official robotics partners for State broadcaster China Central Television's 2026 Spring Festival Gala.

With an almost constant stream of viral videos showing the ever more impressive exploits of these mechanical marvels, it's only fair to presume that this year's Gala performance will make even bigger waves — and not just with a few handkerchiefs.