Robotics firms see backlog in orders after humanoids steal the show at Spring Festival Gala

Robotics firms see backlog in orders after humanoids steal the show at Spring Festival GalaInterest also spiked in Noetix’s Bumi, a companion robot that appeared in a family-themed comedy sketch at the gala3Published: 7:00pm, 18 Feb 2026Consumer interest in robots has surged in China since several leading models appeared on stage at Monday’s Spring Festival Gala, with delivery dates pushed as far back as late April.This development follows the featuring of robots from four domestic firms – Unitree Robotics, Magiclab, Galbot and Noetix – at the event after they signed partnerships reportedly worth around 100 million yuan (US$14 million).One of the biggest beneficiaries was Hangzhou-based Unitree, whose G1 humanoid robots attracted international attention following their striking martial arts performance on Monday evening. Chinese humanoid robots pull off kung fu display at 2026 Spring Festival GalaChinese humanoid robots pull off kung fu display at 2026 Spring Festival GalaOn the JD.com shopping platform, the earliest delivery dates for the G1 humanoids were in early March, as tens of thousands of users visited the product page over the past three days, according to the platform’s data.The G1 costs around 85,000 yuan domestically, while the international version is priced at US$13,500, putting it out of the reach of most consumers but of interest to companies and businesses.Interest also spiked in Noetix’s Bumi, a companion robot that appeared in a family-themed comedy sketch at the gala. Since Monday, thousands of the robots have been added to customers’ shopping carts via JD.com, although it remains unclear how many purchases were completed.The child-sized robot, billed as the world’s first “high-performance” humanoid priced below 10,000 yuan, has its earliest delivery date listed as late April on JD.com, compared with an earliest delivery date of March 1 when it was announced in October.Meanwhile, Noetix’s more expensive models that did not appear on Monday’s show have listed delivery dates as early as this week, despite it still being the Spring Festival holiday period.