Lucu Robot Humanoid Unitree G1 Viral Incident: Kick the Coach and Imitate His Pain

Illustration of a humanoid robot that is in pain like the coach (photo: doc. tesla)

JAKARTA - A training session involving the Unitree G1 humanoid robot went viral for the wrong reason - but it was very funny. The video, which was first uploaded to China's Bilibili on December 25, shows a human trainer controlling the G1 using a motion-capture suit.

This setup allows the robot to mimic the trainer's movements in real-time, a common method for teaching humanoid robots complex actions.

It started off well. The coach threw a few punches and kicks, and G1 followed without issue. However, on one sequence, the robot seemed to misjudge the rotation and immediately kicked the coach in the groin.

A reaction immediately occurred. The coach curled up while holding the part before falling to his knees. A few seconds later, the robot imitated the same posture, bending as if it felt the pain itself - a moment that made this video a meme on various social platforms.

The video quickly spread from Bilibili, appearing on X (formerly Twitter) the next day. The video was widely shared, including by Tesla Cybertruck chief engineer Wes Morrill, and then got attention on Reddit and other forums. Even Elon Musk shared it with a laughing emoji.

This humanoid robot has previously been shown playing table tennis, shooting basketballs, and performing martial arts routines. This incident, however, highlights one of the risks of near-distance teleoperation, where small timing errors or incorrectly read movements can lead to unexpected results.

Despite a small delay due to the priority of balancing the robot, this video was confirmed as authentic by experts. Teleoperation remains an important tool for training humanoid robots, especially for tasks that are too complex to be programmed beforehand. However, this clip reminds us that even advanced robots are far from perfect.

For now, G1's accidental kick - and perfect imitation of human suffering - has provided a great laugh for the internet.