Humanoid Robot Loses Grip on Frying Pan, Turns Cooking Into Comedy Show

A humanoid robot built to perform household tasks malfunctioned during a kitchen test, collapsing mid-demonstration in a video that has since gone viral.

In the footage, YouTuber Cody Detwiller, known online as WhistlinDiesel, tasks the Unitree G1 humanoid robot with cooking lunch. Despite being valued at around $80,000 (£60,940) and equipped with advanced sensors and articulated joints, the robot quickly loses control of a frying pan, spills food, and falls to the floor, unable to stand again.

The incident highlights the current limitations of domestic robotics. The G1, produced by Chinese manufacturer Unitree, is designed with 23 degrees of freedom, a 3D LiDAR sensor, and a depth camera to replicate human movement and perception. However, the robot’s difficulties in an unscripted kitchen environment reveal how far such systems remain from achieving human-level dexterity and adaptability.

Detwiller’s video, titled What Happens if You Abuse a Robot?, also shows the G1 colliding with walls and being struck by a vehicle as part of a series of informal stress tests. While intended as entertainment, the scenes unintentionally expose the challenges faced by humanoid machines when performing complex, real-world tasks outside controlled laboratory settings.

Viewers reacted with amusement and disbelief, flooding social media with jokes about the robot’s failed cooking attempt. Some users expressed unease at the robot’s mistreatment, reflecting ongoing public uncertainty about the role of artificial intelligence and robotics in everyday life.

Unitree has previously attracted attention with similar demonstrations, including a humanoid robot boxing event in which its machines struggled to execute coordinated movements.