Humanoid robots used to live only in movies. Think Terminator, WALL-E, or I, Robot. But in 2025, they’re stepping out of fiction—and into showrooms, homes, and even shopping malls.
Two Chinese tech giants, Xpeng and Unitree, are leading the charge with stunning new robots that blur the line between machine and human. One looks like it walked out of a science fiction dream. The other mirrors your every move in real time. And yes—that viral story about a robot “kidnapping” its friends? Turns out, parts of it were real.
Let’s break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what it could mean for our future.
Xpeng’s Iron Humanoid: A Robot With Personality
Xpeng is best known for electric cars and flying vehicles. But at its latest AI Day event in Guangzhou, the company stunned the world with something very different: the Iron Humanoid, its most advanced robot yet.
Not Your Typical Robot
Forget clunky metal frames and stiff movements. Xpeng’s humanoid wears flexible synthetic skin, has customizable body types, and can even be dressed in clothes you pick. Want an athletic build? A shorter frame? Different hair? All options.
Why go this route? Xpeng believes robots shouldn’t just work—they should connect. “We want people to feel comfortable around them,” said CEO He Xiaoyang. The warm, skin-like texture and expressive face help the robot feel less like a machine and more like a companion.
Built Like a Human—Inside and Out
The Iron Humanoid isn’t just about looks. It has a biomimetic spine and muscle system, meaning it bends, twists, and moves like a real person. Its hands have 22 moving parts each, letting it pick up a coffee cup or gesture naturally—tasks most robots still struggle with.
In its head sits a curved 3D display that acts like a face. It can show emotions, make eye contact, and even “smile.” This isn’t just for show—it’s part of how the robot communicates with people in social settings.
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Under the hood, the Iron Humanoid runs on three Turing AI chips, delivering 2,250 TOPS (trillion operations per second)—the same power used in Xpeng’s self-driving cars. It uses a full AI stack called VLT, VLA, and VLM, which lets it see, understand language, and take action—all in real time.
This means it’s not just following a script. It can look at a room, understand what’s happening, and decide what to do next. For example, if someone drops a pen, it can recognize the object, pick it up, and hand it back—without being told step-by-step.
Where Will You See This Robot?
Xpeng isn’t aiming for factories or warehouses. Instead, they’re targeting public spaces:
- Shopping malls (as assistants)
- Museums (as tour guides)
- Car showrooms (like their own)
A previous version already gave tours at Xpeng’s HQ—speaking fluent English with a perfect American accent. The new model will take over those jobs fully by late 2026, when mass production begins.
They’re also testing the robot with Baosteel, China’s largest steel company, for inspections in industrial settings—proving it can handle serious work too.
Privacy and Safety First
Unlike some rivals who ask for full access to your home data, Xpeng takes a bold stand: your robot won’t share your secrets. They follow a modern take on Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics—and added a fourth rule: Never disclose the owner’s private data.
This builds trust. After all, would you want a robot in your living room that sends video of your family to a server in another country?
Is It Too Much?
Critics ask: Do we really need robots that look and act this human? Some say Xpeng is solving a problem that doesn’t exist. Others worry about cost—this robot won’t be cheap, thanks to its advanced chips, solid-state battery (rarer and safer than lithium), and complex design.
But Xpeng isn’t just selling a machine. They’re selling an experience—a robot that feels familiar, helpful, and even friendly.
Unitree’s G1: The Robot That Learns By Watching You
While Xpeng builds robots to replace human roles in public, Unitree is taking a totally different path. Their G1 robot doesn’t just follow commands—it learns by copying you.
Real-Time Mirroring
In a now-viral demo, a human wears a motion-capture suit. Every punch, kick, or wave is instantly mirrored by a G1 robot standing nearby. Two operators even had their G1s “spar” like martial artists—smooth, fast, and eerily human.
This isn’t pre-programmed. It’s teleoperation: remote control with full-body movement. But here’s the twist—Unitree uses these sessions to train the robot’s AI.
Learning from Real Life
After copying humans, the G1 starts doing tasks on its own. In one video, it:
- Wipes a kitchen counter
- Takes out the trash
- Fluffs a pillow
- Puts a Coke in the fridge
The movements aren’t robotic. They’re fluid, quiet, and precise—because they were learned from real people.
Unitree calls this a “full-body teleoperation and data platform.” But really, it’s a clever way to collect human motion data at scale. Every time someone uses a G1, the robot gets smarter. Over time, it won’t need a human controller at all.
What’s the End Goal?
Unitree isn’t trying to make a “friend.” They’re building a physical avatar—a machine you can send to do things for you. Imagine:
- Sending your G1 to a dangerous job site
- Letting it train in martial arts while you rest
- Using it for remote elder care
It’s less about charm, more about capability through imitation.
The Viral “Robot Kidnapping” Was (Partly) Real
Remember that wild video from 2024? A small robot named Erbo walked out of a showroom, said “Go home,” and led 12 other robots out the door like a robot exodus.
At first, everyone laughed it off as a hoax.
But new reports from Chinese tech insiders confirm: the robots and the location were real. Erbo was developed years ago as a companion bot for a woman named Highway, who still posts videos of it on Douyin (China’s TikTok). The showroom belongs to Kenchii Robotics, and their small humanoids match the ones in the clip.
Was it staged? Probably. But the fact that it could happen—that a robot can speak, move autonomously, and lead others—shows how fast this tech is moving.
Xpeng vs. Unitree: Two Visions for the Future
These two companies show us two possible futures for humanoid robots:
Neither is “better.” They solve different problems. Xpeng wants robots we welcome into our lives. Unitree wants robots that do what we can’t—or don’t want to.
What Comes Next?
Experts predict the global humanoid robot market will grow from $1.5 billion in 2023 to over $38 billion by 2035 (Source: McKinsey, 2024). China is investing heavily, and companies like Xpeng and Unitree are racing ahead.
But big questions remain:
- Will people feel safe around human-like robots?
- Who owns the data these robots collect?
- Could they replace human jobs—or create new ones?
One thing’s clear: the age of humanoid robots has begun. They’re no longer lab experiments. They’re walking, talking, learning machines—ready to step into our world.
Final Thought: Are We Ready?
Xpeng’s robot dances to Taylor Swift. Unitree’s bot throws a punch. Erbo says, “Go home.” These moments feel playful—but they’re signs of something deeper.
We’re teaching machines not just to think, but to move, feel, and act like us. That’s powerful. It’s also risky.
As CEO He Xiaoyang put it: “Robotics requires fusion—hardware and AI must grow together.” And if we’re not careful, we might build something we can’t fully control.
But for now, the future looks less like cold metal—and more like us.
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