Humanoid robot freaks out in viral clip, handler blames code error

A viral video captured a Unitree H1 humanoid robot thrashing violently during a testing session at a Chinese facility, causing the crane suspending it to crash and narrowly missing nearby technicians. The incident sparked widespread alarm and online debate about the safety and unpredictability of advanced robots. The robot’s handler, Cix Liv, attributed the malfunction to a coding error—specifically, running a full-body control policy while the robot’s feet were not grounded, which led to instability. The footage, featuring shocked observers and frantic exchanges, drew comparisons to sci-fi scenarios of machines going rogue. The Unitree H1 is a commercially available humanoid robot standing nearly six feet tall and capable of dynamic movements such as running, dancing, and backflips, with joints that can exert significant torque. While these capabilities demonstrate impressive robotic advancements, they also raise serious safety concerns in the event of malfunctions. Similar incidents have occurred before, including a May 2025 episode where the same model malfunctioned violently during