Russia unveiled a humanoid AI robot during a highly-anticipated showcase that ended in disaster when the bot wobbled and face-planted on stage.
The robot’s debut in Moscow went awry on Tuesday when the robot – believed to be Russia’s first powered by artificial intelligence – appeared to malfunction and took a tumble.
The bot, known as AIDOL, staggered out on stage triumphantly to the Rocky theme song in front of around 50 journalists before the machine shuffled to the left and waved to the audience.
However, the wave appeared to cause AIDOL to lose its balance and stumble before falling to the floor.
The fall caused pieces of the machine to fall off and clatter across the stage, before it was picked up by organizers. A black sheet was raised to shield the robot from the audience as it was dragged off-stage.
Organizers said the fall was due to lighting and calibration complications, according to journalists who attended the event, the New York Times reported.
‘At first there was a moment of silence,’ Dmitry Filonov, editor in chief of Edinorog Media, who attended the event said in a text message obtained by the outlet.
‘Then they began to applaud to show their support,’ the message continued.
The bot, known as AIDOL, staggered out on stage triumphantly to the Rocky theme song in front of around 50 journalists before the machine shuffled to the left and waved to the audience
The developers said that the company had invested heavily in the robots face and technology to more closely mimic humans
The robot’s debut in Moscow ended unexpectedly after what is believed to be Russia’s first robot powered by artificial intelligence took a tumble on stage on Tuesday
AIDOL’s chief executive Vladimir Vitukhin told the Russian state news agency Tass that the robot was still in the stages of learning.
‘I hope this mistake will turn into an experience,’ he said, NYT reported.
Filonov wrote on his Substack that the robot was expected to have mobility issues, and it wouldn’t be ‘perfect right away.’
While Filonov said it was a ‘basic model’ set for improvements and developments along the way, the bot is one of few known to have been given a face.
The developers told him that the company had invested heavily in the robots face and technology to more closely mimic humans.
‘I think they were just unlucky,’ he said.
According to the developer’s website for AIDOL, the robot was said to be equipped to walk, handle objects, and communicate with their sights set on it being a presence in homes and businesses.
Just last year, Elon Musk showcased an army of $30,000 Tesla Optimus robots designed to help with household chores which stirred the market for competitors.
A black sheet was raised to shield the robot from the audience as it was dragged off-stage
Organizers said the fall was due to lighting and calibration complications
The bots were seen stiffly walking in single file across a stage at the showcase, during which Musk claimed the bots could assist by serving drinks, walking dogs. mowing lawns, getting the groceries, or ‘just be your friend.’
‘Tesla Bots are initially positioned to replace people in repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks. But the vision is for them to serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing lawns, and caring for the elderly,’ Musk wrote in an published in China Cyberspace magazine.
Earlier this year, Musk shared a video of one of the robots dancing in his latest developments.
The trillionaire has plans to launch Optimus in 2026, each retailing for $20,000 to $30,000.
Speaking at a tech conference in Saudi Arabia last year, Musk predicted that there could be as many as 10 billion humanoid robots on Earth by 2040.
During a Tesla earnings call in April, Musk admitted Trump’s tariffs on China were causing problems for the robot’s development.
In response to increased tariffs, China suspended exports to any country of ‘heavy rare earth metals’ and magnets made from these in May.
China currently produces the entire global supply of heavy rare earth metals and 90 per cent of the magnets made from these, with the remaining 10 per cent of magnets being made with Chinese raw materials.
Just last year, Elon Musk showcased an army of $30,000 Tesla Optimus robots designed to help with household chores which stirred the market for competitors
The trillionaire has plans to launch Optimus in 2026, each retailing for $20,000 to $30,000
Elon Musk’s attempt to show off Tesla’s new dancing robot, Optimus (pictured)
Musk said that these magnets are vital for creating the powerful, compact motors which allow Optimus’s arms to move.
Musk said: ‘That’s more affected by the supply chain, by basically China requiring an export license to send out anywhere with magnets, so we’re working through that with China.’
He added: ‘China wants assurances that these are not used for military purposes, which obviously they’re not.
‘They’re just going into a humanoid robot. So that’s not a weapon system.’
Likewise, as reported by the South China Morning Post, experts don’t believe Tesla can make Optimus for $20,000 without access to China’s vast, efficient supply chains.
He Liang, founder and chairman of Yunmu Intelligent Manufacturing, a humanoid-robot maker based in Suzhou, told the publication that as much as two-thirds of Tesla’s components depend on Chinese suppliers.
Liang said: ‘Without the Chinese supply chain, the cost on their end would likely be at least 50 per cent higher.’
