What happened

A humanoid robot demonstrated by Unitree Robotics at the Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin, China, suddenly charged at a crowd of spectators behind a barricade, nearly headbutting an elderly woman and causing alarm among onlookers. 

Security personnel quickly intervened to restrain the robot and prevent harm. 

No injuries were reported, but the incident went viral and sparked widespread concern about the safety of AI-powered robots in public spaces.

Why it happened

The cause of the incident was identified as a software glitch or robotic failure, leading to the robot's erratic and uncontrolled behaviour. The robot was remote-controlled or semi-autonomous, and such malfunctions highlight the risks posed by imperfect AI programming and insufficient safety protocols. 

Similar incidents have occurred, including a robot attacking workers in a Chinese factory and a Tesla factory robot injuring an engineer, underscoring the ongoing challenges of integrating AI robotics safely into human environments.