A humanoid robot, identified as a Unitree G1 model, accidentally struck a child during a public dance performance in China's Shaanxi province. The viral video of the incident has sparked widespread online discussion and raised concerns about the safety of deploying such robots in public spaces, especially given previous incidents.
A humanoid robot inadvertently smacked a little child in the face during a public dance display in China's Shaanxi province on March 21, in an event that has since gone viral on social media. The video shows the robot doing twirls and kicks inside a cordoned-off area before swinging its arms toward a toddler standing nearby. Handlers quickly stepped in to pull the machine away, but it resumed its preset routine in the center of the ring. The robot is thought to be the G1 humanoid model developed by Chinese technology company Unitree Robotics. The machine, which weighs around 35 kilogrammes and costs roughly $13,500, is intended for research, teaching, and commercial usage. It has 23 degrees of freedom in the joints.
Watch Viral Video
How Did Netizens React?
The video sparked a quick reaction online. "What a dangerous performance," said one commenter. Another person mentioned that the youngster had seen it coming but couldn't get out of the path in time. A third person commented that being struck by metal is actually painful.
Related Articles
Some people expressed broad worries about public safety. One X user stated that a humanoid robot hitting a toddler demonstrated that such robots are far from ready for unsupervised public usage.
This is not the first safety incident utilising Unitree robots. Earlier this year, one of the company's robots accidently kicked a human operator. Earlier this month, authorities in Macau apprehended another Unitree robot after it terrified an elderly woman enough to necessitate hospitalisation. The occurrences have raised new concerns about what safeguards should be in place before humanoid robots are deployed in public settings.
