Charging Ahead Despite a Person in Front: The Scene That Exposed the Flaws in China's Boasted Robotics Technology [Tech Talk]

Robots Unable to Stop for People Ahead
The Paradox of the Robot Olympics:
Closer to a "Legged Remote-Controlled Drone"

The world's first humanoid robot Olympics, held in Beijing over three days starting on August 14 (local time), was a showcase of China's robotics technology. More than 280 teams from 16 countries participated, but it was the robots made by China's Unitree that truly stood out. They swept gold medals in four events, including the 100m, 400m, and 1500m races, as well as the 4x100m relay. However, the event also exposed the fundamental limitations and risks of current humanoid technology. A Unitree robot collided with a human during the robot running competition.

Robots That Can't Stop Even When a Person Is Ahead

Unitree robot collided with a person walking outside the track. Online community capture

The accident occurred during the humanoid 1500m race held on August 15. The Unitree robot completed the course in just 6 minutes and 34 seconds (the human world record is 3 minutes and 26 seconds), becoming the winner. However, during the race, it veered off the track and collided with a person walking nearby.

Fortunately, the person who fell was not seriously injured, and the robot quickly regained its posture and resumed the competition. However, this scene was broadcast not only in China but also worldwide, sparking significant controversy among online users.

Currently, Unitree's commercial model, the 'G1', is a 100 kg robot. If such a heavy metal machine collides with a person while running at full speed, it could potentially result in serious injury. Although the specific model and specifications of the Unitree robot that participated in the race have not been disclosed, it is assumed to be similar in weight to the current commercial model.

The Paradox of the Robot Olympics... Closer to a 'Legged Remote-Controlled Drone'

The accident plainly revealed the current limitations of humanoid technology. The reason the robot collided with a human is that it lacked a collision avoidance system.

Collision avoidance systems can be implemented with today's robotics technology. State-of-the-art flying drones are equipped with software that detects and avoids obstacles or other drones by sensing their distance. In addition, the latest industrial robots are equipped with a technology called 'impedance control.' Impedance control allows a robot to sense and respond to the force and position relationship when it comes into contact with another object; it is also known as a dynamic control method.

A robot arm with impedance control, if it accidentally bumps into a person while repeating pre-programmed movements, will immediately stop or be pushed in the opposite direction, preventing injury. Thanks to this technology, collaborative robots (cobots) weighing tens of kilograms can work alongside humans. In contrast, general industrial robots without such control functions operate only in spaces completely isolated from human workers.

A collaborative robot (cobot) pushed backward when a person pushes it by hand. Impedance control technology has been applied. YouTube capture

The humanoids participating in the race appeared to lack safety-related software or sensors, such as collision avoidance and dynamic control. Most likely, all hardware and software were focused solely on the action of 'running,' as a result of a strategy of selection and concentration.

For this reason, racing robots are being criticized as not true humanoids, but rather 'bipeds with remote control.' The humanoids needed by humans are not machines that move faster than people, but workers equipped with human-like flexibility and responsiveness in diverse environments.

Critical voices are also emerging among experts. Professor Deng Jianguo of Fudan University in China wrote in an article for the Asia-focused media outlet The Diplomat, "The humanoid robots participating in the Olympics can run fast, but they demonstrated the limitations of autonomy, perception, and decision-making ability, which are the true benchmarks of usefulness," adding, "These humanoids are not intelligent robots, but sophisticated remote control devices."

Professor Deng also warned, "Because humanoid robots are visually impressive, they are useful for showcasing technological progress and attracting investment. However, this type of competition risks inflating expectations for robotics and AI. Instead of developing robots that are truly useful to people, resources may end up being wasted on superficial technology demonstrations."