Bigger than the Super Bowl — futuristic humanoid robots dominate China’s most-watched TV show and leap ahead of the Tesla Optimus

Kung fu-fighting humanoid robots stole the show at China's Spring Festival Gala this week, delivering martial arts performances so impressive that many viewers suspected they were watching AI-generated footage. The annual television extravaganza, which drew 23 billion views across all platforms, showcased China's robotics ambitions as the country enters a new five-year plan prioritizing the technology.

The viral star was Unitree Robotics' G1 robot, priced at about $12,300, whose acrobatic demonstrations were so compelling that delivery dates have been pushed back to March due to surging interest. Even more intriguing was the child-sized Noetix Bumi robot, appearing in a comedy sketch and costing just $1,450, similar to a high-end smartphone, with deliveries now delayed until late April.

Unitree aims to ship 20,000 humanoid robots this year, four times more than in 2025, potentially putting pressure on competitors like Tesla, whose Optimus robot won't hit the market until next year. The company's CEO believes the real breakthrough will come through "embodied intelligence," allowing robots to learn by physically interacting with their environment rather than through traditional AI training methods.