At the Second World Humanoid Robot Games on the evening of August 22, a robot fell to the ground and couldn’t get up after using a spinning kick during a combat match, allowing its opponent to easily win. The news quickly surged to the top of hot searches on August 23.
The Second World Humanoid Robot Games opened on the evening of August 22 at the National Speed Skating Hall Ice Ribbon in Beijing. Before the opening ceremony, mainland Chinese kung fu star Shi Xiaolong joined a free combat match and showcased a spinning kick.
A video circulating online shows Shi Xiaolong demonstrating the spinning kick, after which two robots, one red and one blue, started sparring on the stage. After exchanging kicks to test each other, the red robot performed a spinning kick similar to Shi Xiaolong’s style, but the blue robot remained unscathed while the red one, due to unstable balance, fell to the ground and couldn’t get back up, leading to the blue robot’s victory.
Some netizens joked, saying, “This is the legendary ‘winning by lying down.’” Others commented on the celebratory posture of the blue robot, asking, “Who taught the robot those celebration moves?”
Some netizens delved deeper into the current state of Chinese robots.
“hellokitty,” who writes reviews at the aquarium, said: “Others’ robots imitate human life and work scenarios while you display entertainment here.”
“落落餘暉映畫新” responded more directly:
“While Musk’s robot technology is ahead of some Chinese counterparts, the production keeps getting delayed. The robots in the video may look cool, but in reality, they are quite mediocre, programmed, and some even need remote control.”
User “聖從靈6C” commented:
“Musk creates robots to solve real problems, not just for playthings.”
Similarly, ahead of the Second World Humanoid Robot Games, a Chinese robot lost control during a sprint.
According to the “Sanxiang Metropolis Daily,” a Chinese humanoid robot preparing to compete ran off track during a sprint test on August 19, crashed into an electrical box because it failed to correct its direction in time. The robot took a few steps backward, then fell backward, with sparks flying from its waist joints, damaging its joints.
Some online users said, “This is the famous ‘Cyber Waist Flash,’ brought back for repairs overnight by an ambulance to the assembly line factory. The first robot to end its professional career prematurely due to a spinal injury.”