Embarrassing Fall During Debut
Robot Company Says "A Common Occurrence in Development"
A Russian robotics company faced embarrassment when its humanoid robot, unveiled as "AI Sputnik," fell during its debut appearance.
A humanoid robot developed by a Russian robotics company fell down during a demonstration. Photo captured from YouTube Memology 101
A humanoid robot developed by a Russian robotics company fell down during a demonstration. YouTube Inside Edition
According to the New York Post and other sources on November 13 (local time), Russian robotics company AIDOL held a public demonstration event in Moscow, Russia, where it introduced its humanoid robot AIDOL for the first time.
The company has promoted AIDOL as "Russia's first artificial intelligence-based humanoid robot."
AIDOL made its entrance on stage amid dazzling lights and music. The robot raised its hand as if to greet the audience, but after taking just a few steps, it fell face-first onto the stage floor. Parts of the robot's frame broke off and flew away, and the robot was seen flailing on the ground.
Company staff rushed to help the robot stand up, while another employee tried to shield the scene with a black curtain. However, the curtain became tangled, exposing the sight of the robot being dragged across the stage to the audience. Despite the awkward atmosphere, the audience applauded, and the footage quickly spread online.
International netizens mocked the incident, joking, "It must have drunk too much vodka out of nerves before going on stage." Another commented, "At least Russia doesn't have to worry about accidentally creating Skynet." Skynet is a fictional military AI from the movie "Terminator 2," which, in the film, organizes a machine army that ultimately destroys humanity.
A humanoid robot developed by a Russian robotics company fell down during a demonstration. Photo captured from YouTube Memology 101
AIDOL is a robot developed to walk, talk, and move objects in its environment. It can carry up to 10 kilograms and is equipped with 12 types of emotional expressions. The Washington Post reported that this is essentially the only humanoid robot publicly unveiled in Russia.
As the footage sparked controversy, the AIDOL development company explained that it was an in-house project created by a small team. The company emphasized that "such incidents are common in the process of developing advanced technology." They added that previous tests had included various environments such as slippery floors, stones, and carpets, and suggested that "stage lighting and voltage fluctuations may have caused the loss of balance."
The AIDOL development company stated, "Although we are small in scale, we believe we possess the most advanced technological capabilities in Russia," adding, "What is truly frightening is not falling down, but being unable to get back up."
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