AssetID: 55482645
Headline: China marks New Year with spectacular robot kung fu display
Caption: China marks New Year with spectacular robot kung fu display. China's flagship Lunar New Year television event was taken over by autonomous humanoid robots on Tuesday - who conducted a world-first martial arts display. At the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, broadcast by China Media Group, robotics firm Unitree Robotics showcased its G1 and H2 humanoid robots in a large-scale, synchronised performance combining martial arts and acrobatics. The company said the routine broke several technical records, including continuous freestyle vaulting, airborne flips reaching more than three metres in height, and a series of complex single-leg and wall-assisted backflips. One sequence involved a spin of seven-and-a-half rotations, which Unitree described as another first for humanoid robots. Engineers said a humanoid robot cluster reached up to four metres per second while maintaining formation, marking the fastest coordinated movement of its kind. Newly developed dexterous hands allowed the robots to grip and swap martial arts props during the performance. At the close of the main gala performance, the H2 robot appeared as a “Sword Grandmaster”, while at a separate venue in Yiwu, the H2 robot reappeared dressed as the Monkey King.
Keywords: Science & Technology,China,New Year,spectacular,robot,kung fu,Lunar New Year,television event,China Media Group,2026 Spring Festival Gala,freestyle,vaulting,complex,single-leg,wall-assisted backflips,humanoid,robots,movement,martial arts,performance
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