At the CCTV 2026 Spring Festival Gala, a fun performance called WuBOT became very popular, where over 20 G1 and H2 humanoid robots, together with some martial arts students, performed traditional Chinese kung fu. The performance connects traditional kung fu with the modern AI-powered humanoid robots.

Humanoid robots, which have a lot of important parts like sensors (传感器) and AI systems, are machines that look and act like human beings. Then why are they made like human beings? This is because most things around us, like doors and stairs, are made for our size and shape. If they look like us, they can use these things like we do. As a result, we don’t need to make big changes to these things. This can save a lot of money and time.

Humanoid robots serve as new tools that work with and for humans in different fields. In the factories, humanoid robots carry car parts, pack goods and move boxes. They actually do the boring repeated human work. At home, they help clean floors, tidy rooms, make coffee and iron the clothes. In hospitals, they send medicine and help nurses lift patients. Schools buy humanoid robots for STEM classes. Shopping malls and restaurants use them to give performances to welcome guests. Most importantly, humanoid robots can work as policemen going on patrols (巡逻) in our neighborhood, and this provides us with a safe environment.

Nowadays, with the fast development of science and technology, humanoid robots have been developing quickly from lab inventions to real-life helpers. More companies have started to produce them in large numbers. Because of mass production, the cost of humanoid robots has dropped a lot, so even small workshops can afford them. By 2050, there will be about 930 million humanoid robots doing simple jobs. Around 80 million humanoid robots will work in homes. China will probably have the world’s most humanoid robots. Some experts believe that they will become as common as household appliances (家用电器) in the future.