Unitree Robot Dancers Through to America’s Got Talent Final

PASADENA, Calif.: Humanoid robots advanced to the America's Got Talent finals following judge Sofia Vergara activating her Golden Buzzer for a performance combining machinery, human actors, and certain athletic routines. 

On the program, the act appeared as Unitree; the ensemble matched humanoid machines with performers to execute a timed sequence involving high kicks, somersaults, and unified motion. The official AGT clip displayed the bots and people shifting in unison as a single act, whereas Entertainment Weekly verified that live humans alongside the robots participated in the display. 

Vergara confessed that the performance felt "a little bit scary" prior to pressing her Golden Buzzer. This choice sent Unitree straight into the final stage, permitting them to bypass the semifinal round.  

Another three acts, Cesar Dias, Young & Strange and Travis Garland, moved on to the semis via audience voting.  

For Unitree, TV exposure places their robots before viewers well past the robotics field. Yet the show remains best seen as a planned fun display, not a check on how the units might work alone in a messy real-life setting.  

This was not Unitree's initial major dance showcase. The firm states that twenty-four of their G1 robots plus a single H2 model were featured in a China Media Group Spring Festival Gala show back in February. 

The AGT act was previously seen earlier in the season at the show's June auditions, where an official clip displayed the robots executing another dance-centered routine prior to moving into the live rounds. 

The Golden Buzzer currently ensures Unitree entry into the America's Got Talent final rounds. What stays somewhat unclear involves the tech powering of the show: Unitree and the program haven't shared specifics on the robots' control systems or levels of autonomy used while performing.