The world’s first fully autonomous humanoid robot Kung Fu performance wasn’t on most people’s Chinese New Year bingo cards, but that’s exactly what millions watched unfold during this year’s celebrations.
As part of the Chinese New Year showcase, Unitree Robotics unveiled a new generation of upgraded humanoid machines. They performed full kung fu routines with nunchucks, executed clean backflips and frontflips, spun staffs with precision, and even wielded a katana.
They weren’t alone either, performing alongside human martial artists, mirroring movements and engaging in choreographed battles. Every stunt was tightly synchronized, from weapon swings to aerial flips, with the machines maintaining balance even during fast transitions.
Robots perform kung fu in world-first performance
The performance was broadcast to an estimated one billion viewers across China as part of its Chinese New Year celebrations, putting the robotics showcase in front of one of the largest live audiences of the year.
“Dozens of G1 robots achieved the world’s first fully autonomous humanoid robot cluster Kung Fu performance (with quick movement), pushing motion limits and setting multiple world firsts!” The company wrote.
“H2 made striking appearances at both the Beijing main venue and the Yiwu sub-venue, clad in the Monkey King’s heavy armor and riding a ‘somersault cloud’ played by B2W quadruped robot dogs, delivering New Year blessings from the clouds,” wrote the company.
The showcase marks a clear step forward from 2025, when Unitree’s humanoid robots were limited to a controlled boxing sparring match with far more restricted movement.
Clips from the broadcast quickly circulated online, with many viewers questioning how such fluid motion was achieved and whether the clips were just AI, but Unitree has described the performance as fully autonomous.
