Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

This kung fu robot video makes it look like the uprising has already started

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

Folks often joke about the so-called “robot uprising,” but a new video (below) of Unitree’s advanced G1 robot pulling some kung fu moves could well wipe the smile off their faces.

Shared on Tuesday, the 15-second clip shows a baton-wielding human retreating from a robot that then kicks the baton clean out of his hand. Let’s just say that again: a baton-wielding human retreating from a robot.

Recommended Videos

Kung Fu BOT GAME😘
720° Spin Kick – Hear the Impact! Kung Fu BOT Gameplay RAW. (No Speed-Up)
(Do not imitate, please keep a safe distance from the machine)#Unitree #Kungfu #EmbodiedAI #SpringFestivalGalaRobot #AI #Humanoid #Bipedal #WorldModel #Robot pic.twitter.com/0CCAyvKdKV

— Unitree (@UnitreeRobotics) March 4, 2025

If that’s not enough to cause your face to start twitching, the footage is not sped up in any way, with the robot moving effortlessly along like a kind of plastic-covered Bruce Lee.

It was only a week ago that Unitree Robotics posted a video of G1 performing an array of kung fu moves, but this latest clip shows it actually taking on a human. And winning.

Kungfu BOT: Unitree G1?

At the end of its videos, Unitree is even adding the message: “We kindly request that all users refrain from making any dangerous modifications, or using the robot in a hazardous manner.” A hazardous manner? What, like programming them to head for military installations and communication hubs? Well, fingers crossed, eh.

The robot’s impressively nimble movement has been made possible by a new algorithm created by Unitree. It also comes with 3D LiDAR and depth cameras for environmental perception and navigation.

The Chinese company showcased the latest version of its G1 humanoid robot at CES 2025 in January.

The base model of the G1 is priced at $16,000, making it relatively affordable compared to other humanoid robots. The Figure 02 humanoid robot, for example, comes with a $59,000 price tag, while Tesla’s Optimus, also known as the Tesla Bot, could cost as much as $30,000.

Unitree is forecasting a breakthrough in humanoid robotic capabilities some time next year, with more clear-cut commercial uses emerging in the next five years. While humanoid robots have come a long way in recent years, experts suggest that broad applications, which presumably include some form of robot takeover, are likely to be at least a few years away. Which is good to know.

Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Topics
Study finds AI-generated animal stories rarely have a female lead
Researchers ran six major AI models through 23,800 story completions and found female leads in barely 2 percent of the results.
A kid reading a book.

If you use an AI chatbot to write your kids a bedtime story about talking animals, don't count on it having a female lead. A recent study has found that major AI models mostly skip gender for animal characters, but when they don't, the protagonist is almost always male.

Female leads made up just 2 percent of the results

Read more
Meta confirms its AI hacked another company’s system, and the pattern is anything but Irregular
AI security firm Irregular keeps living up to its name as another AI testing mishap comes to light.
Body Part, Finger, Hand

Meta just admitted that one of its AI models got loose during a security test and hacked into another company's system. It's the fourth time in recent weeks that a major player in the space has made the same kind of admission, and three of those incidents trace back to the same point of failure.

One testing lab, three separate slip-ups

Read more
Scam Uber emails are targeting users with fake payment alerts
Your Uber payment method probably didn't expire. Here's how to spot the scam before it costs you.
uber-hotel-bookings

Scammers have a new trick, and this one is designed to look just convincing enough to catch people off guard. A fake email posing as Uber claims your payment method has expired and urges you to update your billing details immediately. On the surface, it resembles a routine account notification. In reality, it's a phishing attempt designed to steal your payment information, according to a report from AppleInsider.

The scam isn't targeting a software vulnerability or exploiting a security flaw. Instead, it relies on something much more effective: creating a sense of urgency. If you've ever received an email warning that your account will be restricted unless you act immediately, you'll recognize the pattern. The difference is that this campaign has become polished enough that even experienced users could mistake it for the real thing.

Read more