[Video] Humanoid robot filmed attacking a customer who pushed it in Russia

The Unitree G1 humanoid robot on display at a technology store in Russia responded to a customer who pushed it with defensive movements and made moves resembling kicks. It has not yet been confirmed whether the robot’s reaction was a special demonstration or a technical malfunction; the robot was shut down after bystanders intervened.

The incident has brought renewed attention to discussions about the safety of robots that mimic human movements in crowded areas such as stores and trade fairs.

Why it matters

The development shows that humanoid robots need to be evaluated not only for their ability to move, but also for how they respond to unexpected human contact. For businesses using these systems in crowded environments such as stores and trade fairs, questions remain open about the conditions under which the robot’s behavior is triggered and how intervention by bystanders should be managed. For customers, the clarity of an exhibited robot’s interaction boundaries is also becoming important. Until it is determined whether the reaction was a planned demonstration or a technical malfunction, it is not possible to use the incident as a basis for a definitive conclusion about the overall reliability of robots. This uncertainty requires safety practices for the use of similar systems in public spaces to be discussed more explicitly.

Background

Russia is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 5 reports mentioning the name in the last 90 days; the latest is dated September 2, 2026.