"Thought They Were Human... Dancing Like Pros on Stage" Musk Impressed by Chinese Robots' Synchronized Performance

Humanoid Robots Make Stage Debut Amid Booming Robotics Industry
Six Robots Deliver Sophisticated Performance on Stage

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, shared a video of a robot flawlessly performing difficult aerial maneuvers, such as somersaults, on the stage of a Chinese singer's concert, describing it as "impressive." On December 20, Musk posted on his social media account a video of robots joining Chinese singer Wang Lihong on stage, dancing in perfect synchronization with the other dancers. The robots in the video wore silver costumes and executed flexible, human-like movements. At the end of the performance, they even succeeded in performing a somersault called the "Webster flip," drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

The robots in the video wore silver costumes and performed flexible movements similar to humans. Global Times

The video uploaded to social media shows the robots going beyond simple repetitive motions to deliver dance moves that blended naturally with the music, prompting comments that "there was little difference from human backup dancers." Musk expressed his admiration for the performance, stating, "Chinese robots now dance professionally on stage." Tesla is currently developing its own humanoid robot, Optimus. Online users also reacted, saying, "At first, I didn't realize they were robots," and "Their movements are sophisticated." The robots are products of Unitree, one of the leading companies driving robot commercialization in China and often referred to as the "Boston Dynamics of China." Recently, Unitree has been expanding its reach by pursuing cooperation with Nvidia and preparing for a public listing.

A humanoid robot appeared as a backup dancer on the concert stage of Chinese singer Wang Lihong, performing various group dances including somersaults. Ex

Meanwhile, China has established itself as the world's largest robot market. On December 21, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited Morgan Stanley's latest annual robotics report, published last week, which stated that China is far ahead in the humanoid development race, having filed five times as many related patents as the United States over the past five years. Specifically, over the past five years, China has filed 7,705 humanoid-related patents, far surpassing the United States' 1,561. Japan followed with 1,102 patents, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ranked fourth with 1,100 patents.

As of 2024, the number of industrial robots installed in China is about 2 million, accounting for more than half of global demand, with approximately 300,000 new units installed annually. Furthermore, the size of the Chinese robot market is expected to more than double from about $47 billion (approximately 60 trillion won) in 2024 to about $108 billion (approximately 138 trillion won) by 2028. This growth is the result of several factors: the Chinese government's policy focus on robotics and smart manufacturing, the expanded adoption of AI technology, and the increasing demand for industrial automation. In particular, this recent concert stage is being seen as evidence that robot technology is spreading beyond manufacturing into the cultural and entertainment industries, signaling a new trend.