"It Might Attack the Engineers"... 'Out of Control' Humanoid Robot Causes Disturbance in China

Video Shows Scene of 'Out-of-Control' Robot Rampage
Unitree's 'H1' Displayed Aggressive Behavior in February

An incident occurred at a Chinese robotics institute in which a humanoid robot, designed to resemble a human, went out of control and caused a disturbance.

According to Sound of Hope (SOH), a US-based Chinese-language shortwave broadcaster, on May 1 (local time), a humanoid robot being manufactured at a Chinese robotics institute recently became uncontrollable and began moving on its own. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the incident shows two engineers at the institute activating the humanoid robot. The robot then appears to malfunction, repeatedly lifting and lowering its arms in rapid, violent motions while suspended from a mini crane.

A researcher at a Chinese institute is dodging as a humanoid robot moves freely. SOH capture

The robot continued these actions, moving more violently as if trying to break free from the crane, and its behavior appeared almost as if it was attacking people. Startled, the engineers backed away, and the robot’s movements became so intense that a computer monitor fell to the floor. The disturbance finally ended when the engineers hastily pulled on the mini crane. SOH explained, “The footage appears to reveal some errors in the humanoid robot during its testing phase.”

This is not the first time a humanoid robot has caused a disturbance in China. In February, at the Lantern Festival in Taishan, China, Unitree’s H1 robot exhibited aggressive behavior, suddenly swinging its arms and lunging toward a crowd as if to attack. Security personnel nearby acted quickly to block the robot and prevent an accident, and the robot was ultimately dragged away by people.

A researcher at a Chinese institute is dodging as a humanoid robot moves freely. SOH capture

This robot is an upgraded, mass-produced version of the model that drew attention during this year’s Spring Festival Gala, where it appeared alongside human dancers. During the gala, the H1 performed complex group choreography, including catching and throwing handkerchiefs, earning applause from the audience. Regarding the incident, Unitree stated that it was due to “software errors or sensor malfunctions” and said that measures have been taken to prevent recurrence.

Meanwhile, thousands of humanoid robots are expected to enter the Chinese market this year. According to Chinese media outlets such as Jiemian News on April 22, six Chinese humanoid robot manufacturers?Unitree, UBTECH, Agibot (Zhiyuan Robotics), Galbot, Zhongqing Robotech, and Leju Robot?each plan to mass-produce more than 1,000 humanoid robots this year. The market size is projected to exceed 4.5 billion yuan (approximately 870 billion won). In addition, a recent report by Leaderbot and others stated that China is expected to produce about 10,000 humanoid robots this year, worth a total of 8.24 billion yuan (approximately 1.6 trillion won), accounting for more than half of global production.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.