A short while ago, Chinese car-maker Xpeng unveiled its Iron humanoid robot. At the time, its creators were forced to slice open the foam covering that gave it its shape to prove that it wasn’t just a human in a zentai suit. Now, we can be much more certain that there are actual mechanical bits inside the ‘bot.
How come? At a recent public appearance in China, the robot performed its disconcerting stroll into place. Unlike the first unveiling, though, there was a slight malfunction.
Heart of Iron
Things didn’t go entirely according to plan,
when XPENG’s latest generation IRON robot made a striking public appearance at a shopping mall. https://t.co/eYIqjw1jMi pic.twitter.com/IKy0kcFKf9
— The Humanoid Hub (@TheHumanoidHub) January 31, 2026
Like the recent Russian-made robot, named Idol, Xpeng’s Iron robot seemed to have matters well in hand as it appeared on stage at a Chinese shopping mall. It executes its walk perfectly well, though there seems to be some instability that wasn’t apparent during its initial reveal. Once it reaches its marker, it lifts a hand and drops backwards as though it suffers a loss of power.
The robot is carted off by its handlers, leaving no doubt that the figure is entirely mechanical. The company’s response to the mishap, chronicled by China’s Sina News outlet, was to take events in its stride. Company chairman He Xiaopeng said, “It reminds me of all children learning to walk. After falling, they get back up, and the next step is to start running, and keep running.” (via Google Translate)
At least nobody was kicked in the goolies this time around.
