Videos circulating on X in recent days appear to show a humanoid robot dressed as a street beggar in China. The footage has spread widely online, though it has not been verified by mainstream media.
In one of the most widely shared clips, a figure wearing a black coat and an orange knit cap lies on a sidewalk, repeatedly bowing its head toward the ground. A plastic jar for loose cash sits in front. Some viewers said they initially thought it was a person, only realizing after a closer look that it was a robot.
One social media post joked that Unitree’s robots had finally found a real-world use case: pretending to be human and begging for money.
The online reaction was filled with sarcasm. One comment said, 「Bring it a box of rice. If it stands up and starts cursing, it’s human. If it keeps bowing, it’s a robot.」 Another wrote, 「This is great. It’s like buying a self-driving car to run ride-hailing trips for me while I stay home and collect the money.」 A third asked, 「If you can afford a robot, why would you still need to beg?」
The report also stressed that the latest “robot posing as a beggar” footage remains unverified. It is still unclear whether the filming location was Fuzhou, whether the scene was staged, or whether the container actually collected any money.
Similar scenes had already appeared in June
This was not the first time a robot had been shown “begging” in public, according to the report. Starting in mid-June this year, similar footage appeared from Fuzhou in Fujian, Beijing, and Chengdu in Sichuan.
Those clips showed a Unitree humanoid robot kneeling on the street with its hands clasped in a pleading gesture. Nearby were a donation QR code, a signboard, and a bowl for money. The robot repeatedly played a prerecorded message that roughly said: 「Life is hard. A robot is trying to make a living. It hasn’t had money to recharge for days. Please donate electricity money.」
Multiple media outlets identified the model as Unitree Robotics’ G1 humanoid robot. The report said the official starting price is $13,500, with battery life of about two hours.
Many saw it as a staged stunt or a form of satire
Outside observers largely treated the street “robot begging” scenes as a promotional stunt or staged performance. As the report noted, a robot cannot decide on its own to go out and beg; the full sequence of actions would have been programmed in advance.
Some also read the act as a kind of satirical art piece. The contrast itself — using an advanced machine to perform poverty in public — was enough to turn it into a viral punchline.
Chinese internet users responded in similarly direct fashion, with remarks such as 「Even beggars face involution now,」 「Even this line of work is being taken over,」 and 「If you don’t work hard, one day you may not even qualify to be a beggar.」