Chinese automotive company XPeng faced an embarrassing moment when its humanoid robot Iron took a dramatic tumble during a public demonstration at a Shenzhen mall. The five-foot-eight, 154-pound robot was strutting across a marbled floor when it suddenly twisted unnaturally and faceplanted with an audible thud, requiring three people to remove it from view.

This incident follows XPeng's earlier showcase of Iron's impressive lifelike gait, which had drawn comparisons to a human catwalk model. The robot's design choices had previously sparked speculation that it might be a person in costume rather than an actual machine. However, the faceplant appears to have settled that debate, with social media users joking about the authenticity of the demonstration.

CEO He Xiaopeng attempted to spin the mishap positively on Weibo, comparing the robot's learning process to a toddler's development. Despite the negative publicity and the robot being strapped to a frame for subsequent demonstrations, XPeng remains committed to mass production of Iron by year's end. The company joins other manufacturers like Tesla and Russian firm AIdol in struggling with bipedal robot stability, though competitors like Unitree have made progress in robot resilience and performance in extreme conditions.