Humanoid robots are rapidly gaining hype, from battlefields to the factory floor.
But there are clear growing pains when it comes to sharing spaces with our new automaton friends. Just this month, a video circulated online showing a robot being escorted away by cops after startling an old lady.
Now, a different robot appears to have gotten carried away while performing a dance routine at a hot pot restaurant in San Jose, California.
A video on social media shows the dancing robot knocking over tableware, smashing plates, and sending chopsticks flying. An orange apron the robot is wearing reads “I’m good” in big letters across the front, perfectly adding to the chaotic scene.
Staffers at the restaurant were forced to intervene. One employee can be seen holding the robot by the scruff of its neck while navigating her phone, presumably searching the bot’s app for controls.
In the end, it took three workers to restrain the robot, who were all forced to duck periodically to avoid being smacked by its waving and sauce-covered hands.
A robot in China just smashed some dishes started dancing instead of working
pic.twitter.com/cfkIjihnsx
— Tansu Yegen (@TansuYegen) March 17, 2026
Besides being the “funniest thing I’ve seen all day,” many netizens pointed out what appeared to be the glaring omission of an emergency off button.
“More importantly, why isn’t there a big red power off button on its back, you shouldn’t have to reach for an app to do that…” one user argued.
The incident appears to have been part of a promotional event for Disney’s “Zootopia 2” at a Haidilao franchise in Southern California.
As Chinese business and financial news website Jiemian Global reports, Haidilao is run by an international holding company that is known to invest in automated kitchens featuring robot chefs and robot food deliveries.
Futurism has reached out to the company for comment.
While it must’ve been a hilarious sight to behold, other netizens struck a more ominous tone.
“This is how the ‘Terminator’ timeline actually begins,” one user tweeted. “Not with a bang, but with a boogie.”
More on humanoid robots: This Video of a Humanoid Robot Playing Tennis Is Extremely Impressive
