Redazione RHC : 20 July 2025 21:57
A humanoid robot dressed in casual clothes, resembling an average man, has gained unexpected popularity in China. Nicknamed “Uncle Bot on the internet, it rose to fame thanks to a short video showing it running down a hill in baggy shorts, sneakers, and a T-shirt.
The video appeared on the Chinese channel Douyin and then migrated to Western social networks, where it has garnered over 80 million views. In the video, the robot moves with surprising speed and stability, waving its arms and confidently descending the path, as if competing in a race, and doing so with much more control.
Since then, Uncle Bot has been spotted in various situations. He visits temples, greets passersby, takes photos with fans, and strolls leisurely through picturesque corners of the village. He watches boys playing basketball, as if evaluating their throwing technique. In another, he calmly walks a robot dog, like a true retiree on his morning walk.
Behind all this cute awkwardness lies some serious engineering. Uncle Bot is actually a Unitree G1, manufactured by the Chinese company Unitree. This humanoid costs around $16,000 and is designed to operate autonomously, interact with people, and navigate a variety of environments confidently. It features 3D lidar, an Intel RealSense depth camera, microphones, a dynamic, articulated body, and even a built-in 5-watt speaker. It can run, walk, and maneuver on uneven terrain, and its battery lasts a couple of hours.
The company hasn’t yet stated whether the viral success is linked to a marketing strategy, but the attention given to the model has already attracted an international audience. Users compare the G1 to early Boston Dynamics prototypes, only more charming and human-like.
It may still be more of a meme than a product ready for mass adoption, but its appearance in real life represents a step forward. Humanoid robots are leaving the lab and becoming part of everyday life. If our mechanical successors are as good-natured and laid-back, perhaps our fears of a robot uprising movie were unfounded.
China is showing impressive results in the field of robotics, from robots that cook steak remotely to humanoids that promise a three-day workweek. Unitree is already known for creating a low-cost alternative to Boston Dynamics’ robot dog, and now the company is demonstrating that it can build talking robots that interact with people.
Redazione