A Chinese Humanoid Robot Fell Face-First During a Public Showcase - Business Insider

XPengis a Chinese electric vehicle maker that has set its sights beyond cars, branching into flying vehicles and robotics as competition in the transport industry heats up. The company sells vehicles across Asia and Europe and is pushing into the Middle East and Africa.

He said in an internal letter in late 2024 that the EV industry will face an "elimination round" from 2025 to 2027.

The incident is one of several recent mishaps involving Chinese humanoid robots.

In April last year, multiple humanoid robots stumbled and fell while taking part in a half-marathon against human runners in Beijing.

Separately, humanoid robot by Unitree kicked an engineer in the groin during a test in China last month.

Netizens reacted quickly to the flop The robot, called IRON, was developed by XPeng Motors and made its first public appearance at a shopping mall in southern China on Saturday. It had previously attracted attention online for its unusually light, catwalk-like gait, according to Chinese media reports.

In videos circulating on social media, IRON can be seen walking human-like to the center of the stage before turning to face the crowd. As it lifted its arm, the robot appeared to lose balance. Staff rushed forward to intervene, but the robot fell face-first onto the ground.

The fall drew audible gasps from the audience. The event's host attempted to reassure the crowd, saying that robots, like humans, must "overcome setbacks on the way to a better future." Subscribe Newsletters

Tech

A Chinese humanoid robot flopped face-first onto the ground during a public showcase. Its CEO says it's all part of 'learning to walk.'

By Lee Chong Ming

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