Chinese robot makers ready for Lunar New Year entertainment spotlight

BEIJING, Feb 8 (Reuters) – In China, humanoid robots are serving as Lunar New Year entertainment, with their manufacturers pitching their song-and-dance skills to the general public as well as potential customers, investors and government officials. On Sunday, Shanghai-based robotics start-up Agibot live-streamed an almost hour-long variety show featuring its robots dancing, performing acrobatics and magic, lip-syncing ballads and performing in comedy sketches. Other Agibot humanoid robots waved from an audience section. An estimated 1.4 million people watched on the Chinese streaming platform Douyin. Agibot, which called the promotional stunt "the world's first robot-powered gala," did not have an immediate estimate for total viewership. The show ran a week ahead of China's annual Spring Festival gala to be aired by state television, an event that has become an important – if unlikely – venue for Chinese robot makers to show off their success. A squad of 16 full-size humanoids from Unitree joined human dancers in performing at China Central Television's 2025 gala, drawing stunned accolades from millions of viewers. Less than three weeks later, Unitree's founder was invited to a high-profile symposium chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Hangzhou-based robotics firm has since been preparing for a potential initial public offering. This year's CCTV gala will include participation by four humanoid robot startups, Unitree, Galbot, Noetix and MagicLab, the companies and broadcaster have said. Agibot's gala employed over 200 robots. It was streamed on social media platforms RedNote, Sina Weibo, TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin. Chinese-language television networks HTTV and iCiTi TV also broadcast the performance. "When robots begin to understand Lunar New Year and begin to have a sense of humour, the human-computer interaction may come faster than we think," Ma Hongyun, a photographer and writer with 4.8 million followers on Weibo, said in a post. Agibot, which says its humanoid robots are designed for a range of applications, including in education, entertainment and factories, plans to launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong, Reuters has reported. State-run Securities Times said Agibot had opted out of the CCTV gala in order to focus spending on research and development. The company did not respond to a request for comment. The company demonstrated two of its robots to Xi during a visit in April last year. U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, who has pivoted automaker Tesla toward a focus on artificial intelligence and the Optimus humanoid robot, has said the only competitive threat he faces in robotics is from Chinese firms. Like those rivals, Musk has also used stunts to promote Optimus, rolling out human-directed robots as bartenders at an event in 2024. (Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Jamie Freed)

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