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Chefs, your jobs are safe for now! Humanoid robot attempts to cook a stir-fry – but ends up flinging the food on the floor and slipping over in the mess

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Robots might be poised to replace humans in factories and warehouses, but chefs don’t need to worry about losing their jobs anytime soon. 

In a viral video, which has amassed over 6.3 million views, a humanoid robot attempts to make a stir–fry for its owner – with disastrous results. 

The clip shows YouTuber Cody Detwiller, who goes by the name WhistlinDiesel, putting his lunch in the unsteady hands of a Unitree G1 robot.

The $80,000 (£60,940) bot promptly loses control of the pan, flings the food on the floor, and slips up in the mess.

After clattering about like a drunken ice skater, the robot eventually collapses to the floor in a crumpled heap. 

Unitree claims that its robot can ‘simulate human hands to achieve precise operation of objects’.

However, Mr Detwiller’s hilarious test suggests the robot might not be dexterous enough to be trusted in the kitchen.

On social media, tech fans have flooded the comments with their reactions, with one calling it ‘peak comedy’. 

A viral clip shows a humanoid robot attempting to cook a stir-fry, with disastrous results

A viral clip shows a humanoid robot attempting to cook a stir-fry, with disastrous results 

The clip of the Unitree G1’s terrible cooking attempts comes from a video titled ‘What Happens if you Abuse a Robot?’.

In the video, Mr Detwiller uses the robot’s remote control to send it running into walls, doors, windows, and eventually hits it with his truck.

However, the robot is also put through its paces in a few more practical tests.

‘If you can cook the meal, I’m gonna go in here and play Fortnite, okay?’, he instructs the robot after taping its hand to the pan.

But the test soon spirals into chaos as both Mr Detwiller and the robot slip and slide over a pile of spilt food. 

On YouTube, one commenter wrote: ‘When he was slipping, I have never laughed so hard in my life, I thought I was gonna stop breathing.’

‘This is the most honest, comprehensive, and realistic demo of this robot available on YouTube,’ joked another.

While one commenter added: ‘The robot slipping around in the food was peak comedy.’

The robot soon tips the frying pan onto the floor, spilling food everywhere and tripping itself up in the process. After sliding around in the mess, the robot collapses into a heap

The robot soon tips the frying pan onto the floor, spilling food everywhere and tripping itself up in the process. After sliding around in the mess, the robot collapses into a heap 

The robot in the clip is the Unitree G1 (pictured). This humanoid robot weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs) and stands at 1.32 metres tall (4.33 ft)

The robot in the clip is the Unitree G1 (pictured). This humanoid robot weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs) and stands at 1.32 metres tall (4.33 ft)

The Unitree G1 needs to be specifically programmed and fitted with the optional three-fingered dexterous hand attachments to carry out any fine manipulation, such as cooking

The Unitree G1 needs to be specifically programmed and fitted with the optional three–fingered dexterous hand attachments to carry out any fine manipulation, such as cooking 

Unitree G1: Specs

  • Height: 4.3ft (132cm)
  • Price: $16,000/£12,000 
  • Weight: 35kg
  • Arm span: 1.4ft 
  • Speed: 2m/s (5mph) 
  • Power supply: Lithium battery 
  • Manual controller: Yes 

However, not everyone thought that putting this robot through such destructive testing was such a good idea.

One commenter wrote: ‘Bro is getting killed by robots in 20 years.’

Another chimed in: ‘This is why AI is gonna try to wipe out humanity in seven years.’

While another wrote: ‘There’s an AI robot fully conscious down the road that will come across this video and start Skynet.’

However, in reality, it isn’t surprising that the Unitree G1 failed to perform well in the kitchen.

This humanoid robot weighs 35 kilograms (77 lbs), stands at 1.32 metres tall (4.33 ft) and boasts 23 degrees of freedom in its joints, which gives it more mobility than an average human.

Behind its blank face, the robot is hiding an advanced perception system which includes a 3D LiDAR sensor and a depth–sensing camera.

Although this makes it one of the most advanced commercially available humanoid robots, it needs to be specifically programmed to carry out any given task.

This comes after Unitree decided to show off its robot technology by holding the world's first humanoid robot boxing tournament, in Hangzhou, eastern China

This comes after Unitree decided to show off its robot technology by holding the world’s first humanoid robot boxing tournament, in Hangzhou, eastern China

Straight out of the box, like it is in this video, the Unitree G1 is capable of little more than walking around and waving. 

That means these robots are likely to cause havoc when released unsupervised into a kitchen environment. 

But this isn’t the first time that Unitree’s humanoid robots have gone viral for their bizarre behaviour.

Last year, the Chinese robotics firm decided to show off its technology by hosting the world’s first humanoid robot boxing tournament.

In the bizarre clip, two life–size robots wearing gloves and protective headgear fight each other in a ring as a human officiator looks on. 

While the duelling robots were able to land some kicks and punches, they often had a hard time finding their mark and keeping their feet. 

WILL YOUR JOB BE TAKEN BY A ROBOT? PHYSICAL JOBS ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK

Physical jobs in predictable environments, including machine-operators and fast-food workers, are the most likely to be replaced by robots.

Management consultancy firm McKinsey, based in New York, focused on the amount of jobs that would be lost to automation, and what professions were most at risk.

The report said collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. 

This could displace large amounts of labour – for instance, in mortgages, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing.

Conversely, jobs in unpredictable environments are least are risk.

The report added: ‘Occupations such as gardeners, plumbers, or providers of child- and eldercare – will also generally see less automation by 2030, because they are technically difficult to automate and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition.’

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