Refer China: Company Clarifies Its Robot Is Not a Human in Disguise

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Company Clarifies Its Robot Is Not a Human in Disguise

On the evening of November 6, at a highly anticipated new car launch event, XPeng Motors took an extraordinary step to counter growing online skepticism about its humanoid robot, IRON. The company physically cut open the robot on stage to prove it is indeed a mechanical entity—not a human in costume.

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The controversy began a day earlier, during XPeng's Technology Day, when the IRON robot made a dramatic entrance onto the stage. With its highly realistic human-like appearance and runway-style "catwalk," many on social media began speculating whether it was a human merely pretending to be a robot.

In response, XPeng Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng released an unedited, continuous video earlier that morning, showing the entire walking sequence. In the video, the robot's team unzipped the back of IRON to reveal its mechanical interior, further asserting the authenticity of the machine.

"This has been both amusing and frustrating for our robotics team," He remarked. "Some people simply can't believe how fast the world is changing. To address the doubts, they forced me to shoot a single-take video to clarify the truth."

To put all doubts to rest, XPeng took it a step further that evening. As IRON walked onto the stage once more with its trademark catwalk, a staff member used scissors to cut into its left leg's white exterior. Peeling back the artificial "skin" and "muscle" revealed a clearly mechanical "skeleton." Even with part of its leg exposed, IRON continued walking offstage with fluid, lifelike grace—creating a surreal and even somber moment for the audience.

He Xiaopeng acknowledged that this was the first time the robot's shell had been removed while it was powered on. The robotics team had initially opposed the idea, but just an hour before the event, they agreed to go ahead.

So, how did IRON achieve such a natural human gait? According to Mi Liangchuan, VP of Robotics and head of the AI Technology Committee at XPeng, it may be due to the robot's spine-like structural design. Despite this insight, he admitted that some elements remain a "black box"—even to the developers.

Launched in November 2024, IRON's latest iteration features a new white outfit, gendered design elements, and muscle-like textures created using lattice materials. It also has bionic shoulders allowing for lifelike posture movements such as slouching or stretching.

Interestingly, XPeng has deliberately avoided making IRON's face hyper-realistic. Instead, it uses a 3D curved display. Mi explained this choice was to avoid the "uncanny valley" effect, where imperfectly human-like robots evoke discomfort. Competitors like Unitree's H2 have already faced such backlash for their eerie facial designs.

XPeng plans to scale up mass production of the IRON robot by the end of 2026. However, Mi noted that developing highly functional and durable robotic hands remains a key hurdle. At present, these "dexterous hands" are expensive and prone to damage—posing major limitations for factory use.

For now, IRON will focus on roles like guiding, retail assistance, and inspection tasks—jobs that XPeng's own dealerships and future industrial partners can support. Still, behind the scenes, the robot continues practicing industrial skills like part handling and screw fastening in XPeng's factory settings.

Source: 南方都市报