Robots Throw Kicks in Martial Arts... Over 200 Humanoids Star in Massive Show in China

"Fusion of Diverse Arts Including Magic, Martial Arts, and Singing"

Aejibot YouTube

A Chinese robotics startup has staged a large-scale show featuring more than 200 humanoid robots, winning an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Chinese robotics company Aejibot (Agibot, ZhiYuan Robotics) unveiled a large-scale robot performance titled "The Magical Night of Robots" at 8:00 p.m. local time on February 8. The show was broadcast live online via Aejibot's official platforms, as well as through major Chinese media outlets including Xinhua News Agency, Global Times, and Phoenix Satellite TV.

In the opening act, more than 20 humanoid robots performed a tightly synchronized group dance. One of the robots glided across the stage suspended on a wire in midair. It was a move that would be difficult even for a human dancer, yet the robot's movements remained stable. In the subsequent martial arts segment, dozens of robots reproduced traditional Chinese martial arts routines.

In a short play featuring both robots and human actors, the robots exchanged lines with the humans and moved in sync with them. A stage where a robot magician performed card tricks also captured the audience's attention. In addition, many acts were designed with human emotions in mind. Representative examples included a robot dancing a waltz with a human dancer, a sign-language interpreting robot for people with hearing impairments, and a panda robot appearing on stage together with children.

Aejibot YouTube

Aejibot explained that the focus of this performance went beyond a simple technology demonstration, aiming instead to realize an integrated system in which more than 200 robots function simultaneously as actors, narrators, and even as members of the audience. The company said it has demonstrated that large numbers of robots can collaborate to operate a show in complex environments, going beyond merely repeating preset movements.

China Securities Journal described the performance as "a fusion of diverse art forms including dance, short plays, magic, martial arts, singing, and fashion shows," and assessed that "it shows that China's robotics industry is moving beyond the 'function execution' stage into the realm of 'cultural expression'."

Aejibot YouTube

Meanwhile, Aejibot, headquartered in Shanghai, is regarded along with Unitree as one of the companies symbolizing China's "rise of robots." Citing market research firm Omdia, Bloomberg recently reported that Aejibot shipped 5,168 humanoid robots last year, ranking first in the world.

Aejibot was founded in 2023 by Feng Zhihui, a prodigy scientist who previously worked at Chinese IT company Huawei, and Deng Taihua, who led Huawei's computing products division, is also involved as chief executive officer (CEO). Last year, the company drew industry attention by securing investment from Tencent, as well as from Lanchi Ventures, Longcheer Technology, Wolong, and Zhuhai HuaFa Group.