Russia’s first AI humanoid robot faceplants on stage during debut performance

Video footage showed the AIdol robot being escorted on stage by two staff members to the soundtrack of the movie "Rocky" at the New Technology Coalition forum in Moscow on Nov. 10, according to The Telegraph.

 

 

Russia’s first AI humanoid robot faceplants on stage during debut performance

Robot hình người AI đầu tiên của Nga ngã sấp khi ra mắt

Moments later, it lost balance and fell, scattering parts across the stage. Staff rushed to cover the robot with a screen before dragging it offstage, Newsweek reported.

"At first, there was a moment of silence," said Dmitry Filonov, editor-in-chief of Edinorog Media, who was in the audience. "Then they began to applaud to show their support," he told The New York Times.

The video has been widely shared online, with critics on Russian social media questioning Idol’s decision to unveil the prototype and whether the country’s robotics sector is ready to compete globally.

The firm defended the presentation and attributed the fall to calibration issues, stating that the robot is still undergoing testing. "I hope that this mistake will turn into an experience," Vladimir Vitukhin, Idol’s chief executive, said.

The robot runs on a 48-volt battery capable of six hours of continuous operation and is composed of 77% Russian-made components, which the company aims to increase to 93% in future models.

It is equipped with 19 servomotors that enable it to express more than a dozen emotions and hundreds of micro-expressions. Its silicone skin is designed to simulate human facial movements with varying firmness. "The robot can smile, think, and be surprised, just like a person," Vitukhin said during the presentation.

Filonov noted that setbacks are common in early robotics demonstrations. He wrote on his blog prior to the event that the AIdol robot was expected to face mobility issues and that the firm was "just unlucky."