Unitree G1 humanoid robot kicks its handler during teleop demo

A clip featuring the humanoid robot Unitree G1 raced across social media after, during a test, it unexpectedly kicked an engineer in the groin. The incident took place during a teleoperation demo where the machine mirrors an operator’s movements step for step.

Everything appeared routine until the G1 suddenly pivoted toward the handler and snapped a leg forward. The engineer instinctively bent over from the pain, and the robot, still in mirror mode, copied that reaction as well. The moment highlights a quirk of synchronized control, where a person’s reflex can be instantly echoed by the machine.

The scene drew swift reactions online. Elon Musk joined the comments, responding with a tears-of-joy emoji. The head of Tesla and SpaceX had earlier said that the updated version of his Optimus robot would be released at the beginning of the year.