Dancing robots, drone performance and eVTOL aircraft on Spring Festival Gala showcase China’s tech advancement
SOURCE / ECONOMY
Dancing robots, drone performance and eVTOL aircraft on Spring Festival Gala showcase China’s tech advancement
Published: Jan 30, 2025 02:25 PM


Unitree's yangge folk dance humanoid robot team lines up at the backstage of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Unitree

Unitree's yangge folk dance humanoid robot team lines up at the backstage of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Unitree


From dancing humanoid and drone performance to demonstrating the flight of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, multiple technology achievements impressed global audience on China's 2025 Spring Festival Gala, showcasing the nation's latest application of cutting-edge technologies.

In the performance directed by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou, 16 robots produced by Chinese robotics company Unitree, dressing in northeastern Chinese style floral padded jackets, performed together with dancers from China's Xinjiang Art Institute. The humanoid robots can not only smoothly twist their waists and mimic human leg-kicking movements, but also spin handkerchiefs, displaying extremely dexterous actions.

The company told the Global Times on Tuesday night that the robots use AI-driven full-body motion control technology, capable of achieving a maximum joint torque of 360 Newton-meter. Coupled with 360° panoramic depth perception technology, they can precisely grasp every movement in their surroundings. Moreover, through advanced AI algorithms, they can perfectly "understand" music, adjusting movements in real-time according to the music.

At two of the gala's sub-venues in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu Province, Shenzhen-based DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co brought large-scaled drone performances, illuminating the sky with a complex and precise light show.

Screenshot of DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co's drone performance at the Chongqing sub-venue of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co

Screenshot of DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co's drone performance at the Chongqing sub-venue of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of DAMODA Intelligent Control Technology Co


DAMODA deployed 3,000 and 2,500 drones in Chongqing and Wuxi, respectively, the company told the Global Times on Wednesday, adding that this was the sixth time that DAMODA had performed at the Spring Festival Gala.

Despite potential uncertainties such as weather, temperature, signal interference, and wind speed, the drone operation team leveraged its experience in Spring Festival Gala drone performances and technical expertise, achieved a 100 percent on-time takeoff and landing, seamlessly synchronizing with the stage performances, said the company.

Besides, a 2-ton-level eVTOL "CarryAll" V2000CG aircraft developed by Chinese company AutoFlight flew over the Chongqing sub-venue of the Spring Festival Gala on Tuesday night, which attracted global audiences' attention.

Screenshot of AutoFlight's “CarryAll” V2000CG eVTOL aircraft at the Chongqing sub-venue of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of AutoFlight

Screenshot of AutoFlight's “CarryAll” V2000CG eVTOL aircraft at the Chongqing sub-venue of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala on January 28, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of AutoFlight


Chongqing is one of six trial cities for China's low-altitude economy, and is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and Jialing River, generating huge development potential and application scenario for eVTOL aircraft. The ground transport in Chongqing has to cross bridges, while transporting via eVTOL aircraft may cut the 20-minute travel time to two minutes, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by AutoFlight on Wednesday.

Global Times



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