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Footage of the incident, which went viral on X, showed the robot initially dancing and performing martial arts kicks on a sports field as students gathered nearby. However, as more students gathered closer, the robot appeared to lose balance and fall.
Instead of regaining stability, it began swinging its arms and throwing kicks toward nearby performers, according to News18.
The situation was brought under control after an operator rushed onto the field and shut down the system.
Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that the robot may have become confused by the large number of people surrounding it, causing the malfunction. It was identified as the Unitree G1, developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics. The model is known for performing complex movements such as dancing, kung fu routines and skating.
A humanoid robot malfunctions and swings its arms and legs toward student performers during a school event in China. Video from X
A similar incident was reported in late April at another school event when a humanoid robot moved unexpectedly and hugged a female student dancer during the opening ceremony of a sports competition at Xi’an Eurasia University, sparking debate over robot safety and control.
Gao Huan, deputy director of the Intelligent and Cognitive Laboratory at Chongqing Normal University, told the Global Times that such incidents could result from abnormalities in motion control, execution errors, or the lack of backup safety systems on site.
He said performance robots usually operate based on pre-programmed movement scripts. If positioning fails, posture recognition becomes inaccurate, execution sequences change, or performers move outside preset paths, unintended collisions between robots and humans can occur.
