In China, humanoid robots are serving as Lunar New Year entertainment, with their manufacturers pitching their song-and-dance skills to the general public as well as potential customers, investors and government officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Sunday, Shanghai-based robotics start-up Agibot live-streamed an almost hour-long variety show featuring its robots dancing, performing acrobatics and magic, lip-syncing ballads and performing in comedy sketches. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An estimated 1.4 million people watched on the Chinese streaming platform Douyin. Agibot, which called the promotional stunt “the world’s first robot-powered gala,” did not have an immediate estimate for total viewership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The \u200cshow ran a \u200cweek ahead of China’s annual Spring Festival gala \u200cto \u2060be aired \u200cby state television, an event that has become an important – if unlikely – venue for Chinese robot makers to show off their success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A squad of 16 full-size humanoids from Unitree joined human dancers in performing at China Central Television’s 2025 gala, drawing stunned accolades from millions of viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Less than three weeks later, Unitree’s founder was invited to a high-profile symposium chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Hangzhou-based robotics \u2060firm has since been preparing for a potential initial public offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year’s CCTV gala will include \u200cparticipation by four humanoid robot startups, Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab, the companies and broadcaster have said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agibot’s gala employed over 200 robots. It was streamed on social media platforms RedNote, Sina Weibo, TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin. Chinese-language television networks HTTV and iCiTi TV also broadcast the performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When robots begin to understand Lunar New Year and begin to have a sense of humor, the human-computer interaction may come faster than we think,” Ma Hongyun, a photographer and writer with 4.8 million followers on Weibo, said in a post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agibot, which says \u2060its humanoid robots are designed for a range of applications, including in education, entertainment and factories, plans to launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong, Reuters has reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State-run Securities Times said Agibot had opted out of the CCTV gala in order to focus spending on research and development. The company did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company demonstrated two of its robots to Xi during a visit in April last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US billionaire Elon Musk, who has pivoted automaker Tesla toward a focus on artificial intelligence and the Optimus humanoid robot, has said the only competitive threat he faces in robotics is from Chinese firms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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