Six G1 humanoid robots from Unitree They appeared last week performing perfectly synchronized somersaults on a concert stage, acting as dancers for pop singer Wang Leehom. They were dressed in shiny silver tops and black leather pants, and completed a choreography that included arm movements, kicks and spins before winning over the audience with their acrobatics.
The video has ended up going completely viral on social networks, so much so that even Elon Musk he rated it of “impressive” in
Humanoid robots created to go viral. Chinese companies specializing in robotics have been turning each demonstration of their humanoid robots into a viral phenomenon for months. Last August they were the first robot Olympics in Beijingwhere the Unitree H1 model broke speed records by completing 1,500 meters in 6 minutes and 34 seconds, reaching 4.78 m/s and surpassing the Boston Dynamics Atlas.
Previously, H1 humanoids also appeared on the Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched TV show. Now we see them hogging the stage (We we also know about thatreferring to the last Xataka Awards gala).
They know how to sell themselves. The most common thing is to see this type of robots in technical conferences or corporate videos, but in recent years they have also starred in electrifying videos showing their capabilities and, in the process, gaining millions of views.
Chinese firms have chosen to turn robotics into mass entertainment, perhaps a strategy to bring them closer to the public and so that they are not strangers when it is time to buy them in the future. The performance At Wang Leehom’s concert it was part of his “Best Place Tour” before 18,000 spectators, a perfect showcase to demonstrate the capacity of these robots and their versatility in all types of scenarios.
Figures. Beijing has made humanoid robotics a national priority. Your five-year plan for the industry set in 2021 an annual growth of more than 20%, supported by a state fund of 140 billion dollars for technology startups. This year they aimed to produce more than 10,000 humanoid robots.
China also leads in patents: according to Morgan Stanley, submitted 7,705 applications related to humanoid robots in the last five years, compared to 1,561 in the United States and 1,102 in Japan. Cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing are where investment and development is concentrated.
Unitree as national flag bearer. The company behind the robots at the Chengdu concert has established itself as a benchmark in the sector in China. Launched in 2024, the G1 measures 1.27 meters, weighs 35 kilos and has between 23 and 43 joints, and can reach a speed of 2 m/s.
In August won the gold medal in the 100 meter hurdles at the first World Humanoid Robot Games by completing the race in 33.71 seconds. Its R1 model was recognized by Time magazine as one of the best inventions of 2025.
From spectacle to real application there is a distance. “I don’t think anyone has found an application for humanoids that requires several thousand robots per installation,” pointed out in September Melonee Wise, former product manager at Agility Robotics, to IEEE. Technical problems persist: limited energy autonomy, industrial reliability still far from the required 99.99% and practically non-existent commercial applications.
Although the predictions from Bank of America Global Research that mentioned that about 18,000 units would be sold in 2025 or that the market will reach $5 trillion by 2050, there are hardly any real commercial deployments beyond highly controlled pilot tests.
The power of marketing. Wang Leehom’s website boasted that “the show marked a rare example of robotic dancers in concert, fusing advanced technology with powerful live music.” Many fans praised the performance as one of the most creative moments of the tour, and there was no shortage of comments like those of this userwhich highlighted that “China’s robots are at another level.”
And now what. China is investing massively in creating a market that does not yet exist, trusting that artificial intelligence will solve the problems of autonomy, reliability and practical usefulness. And it applies a strategy that has served it well in other sectors: that of finding practical, large-scale applications that justify the investment and having a presence in the market before it even exists. We’ll see where we go.
Cover image | CNC GROUP
In Xataka | I have asked for water from the first humanoid robot working in Beijing. It’s a weird vending machine.
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