China’s Yunshu Technology humanoid robots are facing a crisis of rapidly shrinking demand due to technical limitations and stability issues, with rental prices being cut by more than half. The “Spring Festival Gala” robot once went out of control and “attacked” the audience during a performance in Tangshan, Hebei province. Videos of Chinese robots suddenly falling down or behaving aggressively towards people have been circulating widely on the internet.
According to reports from the WeChat public account “Mirror Studio,” Yunshu humanoid robots gained popularity at the beginning of 2025. In February, the first batch of Yunshu G1 robots rented out by their owners for 15,000 yuan per day quickly gained profits, making hundreds of thousands in just a couple of weeks, with reservations booked until May. However, rental prices have now dropped to 5,000 to 8,000 yuan.
Xu Chong, an internet industry practitioner, ordered a Yunshu G1 and two Zhongqing PM01 robots in March, expecting delivery in mid-May and July. However, after two months, the rental market for humanoid robots seemed to be shrinking. Since March, after placing rental ads for the Yunshu G1, he received only a few inquiries. Despite holidays like International Women’s Day, Qingming Festival, and Labor Day in March and April, only three or four orders were confirmed (including pre-orders for May). Due to the lack of inventory, he referred these orders to his peers.
Zhang Zhenyao, the founder of a tech startup in Beijing, owns eight mechanical dogs and one G1 robot for rental. The rent for G1 is 8,000 yuan per day, but throughout April, it was only rented out for an average of two days a week, remaining idle for the rest of the time.
The report also pointed out that the repurchase rate of Yunshu robots is extremely limited, with customers being one-time consumers. Once the novelty wears off, there is hardly any repeat business. As more Yunshu G1 robots flood the market and the limited range of actions they can perform, competition is driven by lower prices rather than differentiated features.
At the “Robot Marathon” held on April 19 in Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone (also known as Yizhuang), technical limitations such as stability issues of humanoid robots were exposed. Despite the meticulous preparations of 20 teams, humanoid robots still experienced issues like falling down on flat ground, going in circles at the starting point, and losing control. Some robots spun in place without successfully starting the race, while others collapsed after walking just 80 meters.
Phoenix Network Technology reported that for robots, a marathon is like a “technical triathlon.” The 21.0975 km course covers various terrains such as asphalt roads, flat surfaces, slopes, sharp turns, requiring robots to handle sensor overload, joint overheating, battery life, and other extreme challenges.
Videos circulating online show Chinese domestically produced robots suddenly “going mad,” wildly swinging their arms in a terrifying manner, causing operators nearby to quickly evacuate.
Previously, the Chinese Communist Party’s “Spring Festival Gala” robot, once praised by young nationalists, went out of control and “attacked” the audience during a performance in Tangshan, Hebei province.
In late December 2024, Yunshu Technology’s humanoid robot lost balance and fell to the ground, experiencing visible malfunctions during an exhibition.
During his inspection of artificial intelligence in Shanghai, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a remark suggesting robots should join a football team. Many netizens mocked this statement, with some sarcastically saying, “The General Secretary has given directions for robots.” Some even suggested letting robots serve as the President or General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.