A Unitree H1 humanoid robot made the internet go wild this week after a dramatic malfunction during a factory test in China, prompting renewed global concern over the safety of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. The ordeal, captured by CCTV cameras and shared on social media, shows the robot-hung from a crane-suddenly flailing its arms and legs wildly out of control, knocking over equipment and causing two startled engineers to flee for cover. One of the workers was struck, but grave injury was avoided as another engineer stabilized the equipment by relocating its support frame.
Humanoid Robot Malfunctions in China Factory, Raising AI Safety Concerns
Early reports are that a coding error was responsible for the robot’s erratic behavior, with analysts noting that the robot’s balance algorithm failed to account for the physical constraints of being tethered from the head-a routine safety measure during testing. This failure caused the robot to interpret its situation as a continuous falling, which triggered a feedback loop of increasingly aggressive corrective movements.
The 650,000 yuan ($90,000) Unitree H1 is a new generation of general-purpose humanoids designed to safely coexist and work with humans. This event has fueled public anxiety and drew comparisons to science fiction narratives of runaway machines and questioning whether current safety standards are adequate for the introduction of such equipment in actual environments.
This event follows other recent examples of robot malfunctions, including the same Unitree malfunction at a festival in Tianjin and a “robot attack” at Tesla’s factory in Texas, indicating the immediate necessity for better safety protocols and testing within the developing robotics sector.
