China has once again found itself at the heart of global attention, but this time it’s not just for advances in AI, but for dance robots. One of the world’s most viewed television events, the Spring Festival Gala featured a unique act that has caused both praise and anxiety this year. 16 humanoid Unitree H1 robots performed synchronized dance routines and seamlessly performed steps alongside human performers. They even performed traditional Yanko dance moves, which involves throwing handkerchiefs and catching them, bringing the audience to awe.
(Read: China is set to hold the world’s first human robot marathon, with 12,000 humans racing alongside robots)
Unitree Robotics, the company behind these robots, celebrated its success by joining social media. Posting on X (formerly Twitter), they wrote:
“Unitree H1: Humanoid Robot makes his debut at the Spring Festival Gala. Hello everyone. I’ll introduce myself again. I’m Unitree h1 ‘fuxi’. I’m now a comedian at the Spring Festival Gala. Everyday Boundary Let’s push and shape the future together.”
See the post:
Technical marvel
From an engineering perspective, this performance was amazing. The 1.8m tall robot, 47 kilograms each, received three months of AI-driven training to complete the movement. Laser slam technology was used to adjust positions in real time, ensuring seamless adjustments with human dancers. This display of AI-driven accuracy highlights the rapid advances in robotics in China.
Loss of human expression?
But not everyone is excited. Audience segments found that the robot’s performance was unstable. Critics argued that dance is essentially a human art form, an emotional expression of joy, sadness and passion. A robot with blank faces and programmed accuracy cannot be replicated truly.
One social media user said, “It’s impressive, but a bit creepy. Dance is about representation, and there’s nothing in these robots.”
(Also read: Chinese spherical robots take the fight against crime to a new level: “not only stop it, it detects crime”)
Another is, “They work well, but it’s like seeing a soulless version of traditional performance.”
Some viewers also found that the robot’s appearance could get in the way. Their uncharacteristic faces, without emotion, were added to the discomfort, as one commenter said, “Why do they look so creepy? If they had a human-like face, it would be even worse. !”
Despite the mixed reaction, the performance clip became a virus, earning over 4.8 million views on X. The rear seat to the machine.
