Chinese start-up’s gongfu robots fire up tech-wary investors
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Unitree pushed the envelope with a procession of robots that mimicked Jackie Chan's Drunken Master gongfu style.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM CGTN/YOUTUBE
BEIJING – Robots once again stole the show during China’s annual Spring Festival Gala, popping up in comedy skits, dancing to Mandarin pop and bouncing off walls like martial arts masters.
Investors responded on Feb 20 by pushing up shares in robotics firms even as the broader market sagged.
In 2026, Unitree – the Hangzhou start-up that wowed viewers in 2025 with synched-up dancing humanoids
Galbot showed off a model that could fold clothes. MagicLab and Noetix’s offerings featured in dance and comedy at the annual event, which on Feb 16 recorded the highest TV viewership in 13 years.
UBTech Robotics stock surged as much as 13 per cent in Hong Kong on Feb 20. Shenzhen Dobot soared as much as 23 per cent, the most since April, while RoboSense Technology gained as much as 16 per cent.
Mainland Chinese markets reopen on Feb 24.
It is not the first time that markets have reacted positively to viral public displays of robotic ability. The Spring Festival Gala – consistently one of the most-viewed events on TV – has often served as a springboard for Chinese tech start-ups.
The programme is often designed to reinforce nationalistic sentiment – an important consideration at a time when Chinese firms are locked in a race with their American counterparts to create and develop world-class AI services and devices.
It remains to be seen, however, if humanoid robots can be put to effective use in real-world situations.
It “was slick, but highly choreographed and doesn’t demonstrate any real-world usefulness”, said Mr Vey-Sern Ling, a managing director at Union Bancaire Privee in Singapore.
He added: “Significant uncertainties remain regarding consumer and industrial adoption, commercialisation, mass production and cost-effectiveness.” BLOOMBERG
