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In today’s global economy, even robots are begging for help.
In a now-viral stunt involving a Unitree G1, a humanoid robot was seen begging on the streets of Chengdu, China in order to get “help with electricity bills.”
The robot sat on the back of its heels like a resting yogi, hands clasped together in deference to people passing by, who hucked coins and scanned a QR code to fill its tin. The G1 told locals it had “no money to recharge” its battery pack, which has an advertised life of two hours per charge.
Reactions on Chinese social media app Rednote were mostly amused, though some pointed criticism of the stunt stood out.
“Will even beggars lose their jobs in the future?” one user quipped, while another groused that it was “Unitree’s core source of cash flow.”
Humanoid robot begging for battery by asking for digital donations
So far, nobody seems to have come forward to claimed responsibility for the bizarre stunt. It’s just the latest viral clip to come out of China’s robotics boom, which has seen the country break consecutive records for industrial robotics deployment.
Though significantly less useful than their purpose-built industrial counterparts, humanoid robots have become a major marketing tool for the country’s robotics industry. In recent months, Chinese humanoids have been filmed running half-marathons, assembling cars, and working as mail sorters.
But evidently, bots that can’t carve a niche making content seem destined for the sidewalk.
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