Unitree Humanoid Robots Reach America's Got Talent Finals with Dance Crew

In October 2026, the Season 21 finale of America's Got Talent saw a Chinese act featuring humanoid robots from Unitree Robotics and the Chengdu-based Houmi street dance crew take the stage. The team became the first Chinese act to advance to the show's finale in its history, though it did not win the title.

According to Global Times, the team performed street dance, martial-arts-inspired choreography, and a water-sleeve dance across the preliminary, quarterfinal, and finale rounds. During the finale, the robots wore flowing water sleeves and executed movements such as kneeling, rolling, and front flips, dancing alongside human performers against an ink-wash mountain backdrop. Multiple robots used radar-based positioning to autonomously navigate the stage, changing formations and coordinating with dancers.

Xie Shiyu, marketing manager at Unitree, said the team spent about three months preparing three routines for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds. The live broadcast placed high demands on robot stability, heat dissipation, and motor performance. Choreographer Fang Zhenghua said the first round used street dance, the second incorporated martial arts moves set to the Chinese-style track "Lotus," and the third featured water-sleeve dance to express Eastern aesthetics.

In this collaboration, Unitree was the invited party responsible for robot development and tuning, while the dance crew handled choreography. Dancer Wu Yufei noted that the robots learned movements through AI training and could quickly approach the quality of professional dancers.