Robot meltdown: Chinese engineers narrowly escape chaos
A video has surfaced online showing the surveillance footage from a Chinese company involved in robotics development. A robot malfunctioned and attacked during tests. The video captures the machine aggressively striking engineers upon activation.
An unusual incident occurred in China when the Unitree H1 (a full-sized universal humanoid robot) attempted to break free from its constraints. The video shows the moment the machine goes into a frenzy, attacking the engineers who were training it. The viral recording likely comes from a Chinese company engaged in robotics research and development.
"Revolt of the machines"? Robot attacked caregivers
At the beginning of the video, the robot is suspended on a crane. It suddenly starts to thrash violently upon activation, flailing its arms. Attacking with great force, it appears to be trying to break free from the crane and escape. One of the engineers quickly ducks, an expression of disbelief and terror on his face.
You can see that the men present—one sitting at a computer screen and the other standing nearby—had to react quickly to avoid danger. The robot moved forward, trying to free itself from the crane, which forced the men to get out of its way. Eventually, one of them pulled the crane from behind to stop the machine from causing further damage. Fortunately, none of them were harmed. However, the equipment closest to the robot was clearly damaged.
"This is how it starts"
The video sparked many comments online. One viewer on the X platform wrote, "We are cooked. No wires pulling just pure chaos," while another added, "I've seen this film, it doesn't end well for mankind and, frankly, I don't see Michael Biehn around to save us this time." Another noted, "Can't wait for the robot v. human war."
This isn't the first time humanoid robots have attracted attention. A few weeks earlier, during a half marathon in Beijing, 21 humanoid robots competed with 12,000 runners. Although the fastest robot completed the race in two hours and 40 minutes, humans claimed victory by finishing in less than half that time.
These events demonstrate how rapidly robot technology is developing and the challenges it may entail. Although the incident at the factory ended without serious consequences, it serves as a reminder of the potential dangers associated with autonomous machines.
