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Robots in Pop Culture

Explore how robots in pop culture shape our ideas of technology through movies, TV, books, and games.

Unitree’s AGT Run Ends, but Its Robots Keep Dancing in China

September 24, 2026 by Mike Kalil
Unitree robots on AGT and at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai

Unitree’s robots lit up stages in the US and China this week on the finale of America’s Got Talent and the 28th WorldSkills in Shanghai.

EngineAI’s T800 Humanoid Is Fighting Its Way Around the World

September 22, 2026 by Mike Kalil
EngineAI T800 robot fighters worldwide

EngineAI’s Terminator-inspired T800 is now fighting worldwide against both robots and humans.

The Kids Who Grew Up with Baymax Are Now Building Him

September 9, 2026 by Mike Kalil
Baymax inflatable over rigid humanoid robot

Many of today’s robotics leaders grew up inspired by The Terminator, but the next generation grew up with a very different and softer vision of the future: Baymax.

MX01: The World’s First Transformable Flying Humanoid Robot?

August 15, 2026 by Mike Kalil
Arkshel MX01 transformable flying humanoid robot concept

The new Chinese startup Arkshel Robotics just introduced what it calls the world’s first flying transformable humanoid robot.

Unitree’s Wang Xingxing is Now China’s Most Unusual Tech Billionaire

August 13, 2026 by Mike Kalil
Unitree founder Wang Xingxing in a dramatic launch video for Unitree's H2 humanoid robot

Unitree founder Wang Xingxing just became China’s latest tech billionaire as investors piled into his company’s blockbuster IPO on Shanghai’s STAR Market.

China’s $2 Billion AI Startup Wants to Take Robot Centaurs Public

August 9, 2026August 5, 2026 by Mike Kalil
LimX Dynamics' futuristic robots

Just a few years old, LimX has already brought walking dinosaurs to theme parks, put Star Wars-like bipeds and centaurs up for sale, and launched increasingly capable humanoids into the workforce, as well as machines that defy easy descriptions.

China’s Obsession with Lifelike Robots is Getting Out of Hand

July 29, 2026July 28, 2026 by Mike Kalil
Chinese lifelike robots

There are easily dozens of companies today working toward robots that are barely distinguishable from real people. Almost all of them are in China.

EngineAI’s T800 Loses Its Head, Refuses to Back Down During First URKL Fight

July 18, 2026 by Mike Kalil
EngineAI T800 robot fights after losing its head during URKL opening night

A Chinese T800 robot lost its head during what was billed as the world’s first autonomous humanoid fighting event. It kept going like nothing happened, as its head dangled by wires.

Martial Soul: EngineAI’s T800 Robot Channels Hong Kong Cinema

July 8, 2026 by Mike Kalil
EngineAI's T800 kicks a vase in a cinematic marketing video

With its latest promo, called Martial Soul, EngineAI pays clear homage to classic Hong Kong cinema.

AnyWit Robotics Brings Rainbow Six Siege’s Ela Bosak to Life

July 7, 2026 by Mike Kalil
AnyWit Robotics Ela Bozak ultra-bionic replica humanoid robot

AnyWit Robotics has developed a hyper-realistic replica of Ela Bosak, the fan favorite from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege.

UBTECH Is Promising Synthetic Humans. The Reality Looks Much Stiffer

July 7, 2026 by Mike Kalil
UBTECH U1 humanoid robots with Chinese influencer

China’s UBTECH Robotics shocked the world when it unveiled its lineup of ultra-realistic companions it’s preparing to mass produce.

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