Several versions of this video have gone viral on social media over the past few days – with millions of views each. They are often accompanied by the claim that the video depicts life-like humanoid (that is, sharing human characteristics such as walking upright) robots with full mobility, range of expression, and human-presenting features. Other posts have also claimed that these robots will be on the market soon.
In particular multiple sections of the video focus on one specific “robot” who is walking, pivoting, and posing for cameras and spectators. The “robot” appears female with a white, robotic body.
The World Robot Congress in Beijing did take place last week, and reports from the event describe the display of 27 humanoid robots featuring new technology. However, after taking a closer look at the event, our research shows that the video does not actually depict fully mobile humanoid robots.
We looked at pictures and articles about the World Robot Congress and found different images of the female-presenting robots in the video. Instead of being free moving, the humanoid robots in the background of the video are attached to a base plate and only appear to have arm mobility and basic facial movements. In official footage, we could find no indication that humanoid robots with the fluidity and range of the claim video were presented.
Robotics company Ex Robot, which specialises in hyper-realistic humanoid robots was a major exhibitor at the World Robot Conference – their logo is clearly visible in the claim video. However, comparison between footage of Ex Robot’s robots and walking “robots” in the video reveals distinct differences in fluidity, blinking, and micro-expressions, with the exhibited robots not appearing as uncannily lifelike.
Rather, we found social media posts from attendees who instead reported that the mobile “robots” were actually human actors paid by Ex Robot to simulate advanced humanoid robots. One user even pointed out that make-up artists and assistants were present to wipe their sweat and fix their makeup. We also did a search on Chinese social media platform Xiao Hong Shu and found videos by a make-up artist of behind-the-scenes footage make-up footage and the “robots” waving at the camera out of character.
Although we could find no official confirmation from Ex Robot that it did pay actors to simulate robots, all available evidence points to the mobile, hyper-realistic “robots” in the viral videos being human.
While the humanoid figures in the background are robots, the most sophisticated robots in the claim video are actually human actors and do not represent an example of the latest advances in robotics from China. Therefore, we give this claim a rating of false.
As robotics technology continues to advance rapidly, it also gets more difficult to assess claims such as this one. By leveraging this confusion, posters who mislabelled the original video garner millions of clicks, but also muddy the waters surrounding robotics and about how far (or near), exactly, we are to robots who can pass as humans.
