What are the origins of these BOTs? Let's take a look at the technological "secrets" of the Spring Festival Gala robots dancing Yangko

Wearing small flowered jackets, waving red handkerchiefs, and dancing the yangge, a group of lively and funny humanoid robots attracted the attention of countless audiences on the stage of CCTV's 2025 Spring Festival Gala.

How can a robot with a high-tech feel be able to twist a handkerchief from zero frame to throw it out and take it back, and its steps are comparable to those of a real person? Recently, CCTV News interviewed Liu Huizi, the person in charge of the dance program of the 2025 Spring Festival Gala of China Central Television , and Zhang Yangguang, an engineer of Yushu Technology .

Where do these BOTs come from?

This Spring Festival Gala program is called " YangBOT " and is directed by Zhang Yimou. 16 BOTs (short for robot) and 16 dancers from the Xinjiang Arts Institute work together to present the unique charm of folk art.

Every move of the Yangko dance was given a cyber flavor by the humanoid robots, and netizens exclaimed that "these robots must be from the Northeast." In fact, the name of this group of BOTs is Yu Shu H1 "Fuxi", and they are from Hangzhou.

Hangzhou Yushu Technology was founded in 2016 and is a leader in the field of humanoid robots and quadruped robots. Since launching its first bipedal humanoid robot in 2023, Yushu Technology has overcome technical difficulties such as the robot's passability and stability in complex terrain.

During CCTV's Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Ox, Yushu Technology's robot cow "Benben" appeared on stage and performed interactively with Andy Lau.

Engineer Zhang Yangguang introduced that the humanoid robot performing on stage at the Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Snake has 19 joints. In order to complete the action of spinning a handkerchief, 3 additional joints were added to each arm , giving the robot extremely high flexibility and precision, allowing it to complete actions such as arm rotation, throwing and recovering like humans.

How do robots serve as partners for dancers?

The most exciting Yangko dance + the coolest robot. In order to make the robot dance with "flavor" and achieve the rhythm of the dance, the program choreography needs to accurately calculate the changes in every rhythm and rhythm to the millisecond level and calculate the speed and trajectory of each movement.

From the four-legged robot bull in the Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Ox to this year's bipedal humanoid robot, Yushu Technology, which performed on the Spring Festival Gala for the second time, prepared more than 130 dance moves and conducted sufficient technical testing.

Simulation Learning

The team specially created a program for the Spring Festival Gala that can generate movements directly from videos. The movements of the dancers in front of the camera are captured by AI software and turned into instruction codes, which are then fine-tuned by engineers and exported to the robot to enable it to move directly.

Exclusive dance steps

In addition to learning the movements of dancers, the team also specially designed robot dance steps. In the past, robots had to adjust their positions by stepping, but the robots performing this time were able to integrate the adjustment movements into the dance, making it look more natural and smooth.

Custom Actions

The handkerchief movement in the Yangko performance is a highlight. Zhang Yangguang said that in order to realize the rotation, throwing and recycling of the handkerchief, the team specially designed additional joints for the robot and developed a sophisticated structure and control algorithm.

In order to make the robot more lively on stage, engineers also designed small details to leave suspense for the robot to spin the handkerchief. "We put a black sleeve on the skill handkerchief, and the audience looks like a handkerchief. During the dance, the robot breaks off the sleeve through the slot on the back and replaces the handkerchief. When the motor rotates, the handkerchief can spin. " Zhang Yangguang said.

Simulation test

In order to ensure that the robot is foolproof during the live broadcast, the team conducted a large number of simulation tests in the early stage. Zhang Yangguang introduced that on the virtual physical simulation platform, a single robot was tested tens of thousands of times. Through testing, the team was able to avoid potential risk points and ensure the stability of the robot in the actual performance.

Behind every dance move of the robot, there are more than a dozen engineers calculating and experimenting day and night, and the dancers and choreographers repeatedly polishing and coordinating with each other, which results in a unique performance that combines technology with traditional art.

Why let robots dance on the Spring Festival Gala?

In August 2023, the humanoid robot H1 of Yushu made its debut at the World Robot Conference. At the end of 2024, H1 will appear in the long-term stage play "Macao 2049" directed by Zhang Yimou, playing the cross-border integration of technology and art with international masters.

Liu Huizi, person in charge of the dance programs for the 2025 Spring Festival Gala of CCTV, believes that unlike previous science and technology programs of the Spring Festival Gala, this program has been given a unique mission since its inception.

During the program arrangement process, the robot's movements needed to be cut due to time issues. The engineer found Liu Huizi and tried her best to retain her. "I asked why we couldn't remove some full-body movements. The engineer said that no one in the world can do this movement, only the Chinese can do it."

Liu Huizi believes that the creation process of this program is more like a scientific research project. "Usually, robots perform mostly isokinetic movements. To achieve fast start and slow down, close to the dance beat, and to turn the handkerchief like a human, it is a huge challenge for the robot , which requires the careful design and repeated experiments of engineers."

During the interview, when talking about the development prospects of the field of humanoid robots in China, Zhang Yangguang said that China is currently in the first echelon in the world, and has demonstrated a leading level in both the complexity of robot movements and overall coordination.

In 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guiding Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Humanoid Robots", proposing that by 2025, China's humanoid robot innovation system will be initially established . By 2027, the technical innovation capability of humanoid robots will be significantly improved, an internationally competitive industrial ecosystem will be built, and the comprehensive strength will reach the world's advanced level.

The stunning appearance of "Cyber ​​Yangko" is not only a display of the results of the integration of modern technology and traditional culture, but also injects new impetus into the innovative development of humanoid robots.

Source: CCTV News WeChat Official Account (ID: cctvnewscenter)

Producer/Li Zhe Producer/Chai Jing

CGTN reporter/Chai Jing Pei Yongbo

Video production/Bae Yong-bo, Lee Yi-zi, Dong Yan

Editor/Ma Weilu Gao Shaozhuo