China's 'Kung Fu Robots' Steal Lunar New Year Gala: Amused or Afraid?

• China's Lunar New Year Gala showcased advanced humanoid robots performing martial arts, backflips, and synchronized dances, highlighting the country's robotics progress.
• The Spring Festival Gala, a highly-watched event, served as a platform for Beijing to display its technological ambitions to domestic and global audiences.
• Robots from Unitree Robotics, MagicLab, and Noetix Robotics demonstrated significant technical leaps, including complex martial arts, fault recovery, and lifelike designs.
• Experts caution that stage performances don't equate to industrial readiness, but acknowledge the rapid pace of improvement and China's strategic focus on robotics.
• The gala's robot-heavy programming reflects China's national strategy to shift towards high-end, smart manufacturing and its intensifying tech competition with the US.