- AIdol, Idol's first humanoid robot, fell on stage during its performance in Moscow.
- The company attributes the failure to calibration and lighting problems and emphasizes that the prototype is still in the testing phase.
- Declared specifications: 48V battery (up to 6 hours), 19 facial servomotors, seven microphones, offline operation and 77% domestic components.
- The incident reopens the debate about the level of Russian robotics compared to China and the US, and the implications for the European market.
The race to bring the robots humanoid Outside of laboratories, development continues unabated, with China and the United States setting the pace. In this context, Russia has sought to showcase its offering with AIdol, a prototype aiming to join this select group, though its presentation has been anything but discreet.
During an event in Moscow, the Idol humanoid had a bumpy debut: He collapsed on stage A few steps later, a video went viral in minutes and sparked a torrent of comments on social media.
What was presented and where
Idol showcased its music at the Yarovit Congress Center in Moscow, during a forum of the New Technology Coalition focused on humanoid robotics. Other companies from the Russian ecosystem participated, such as Promobot, Double U Expo, and Robot Corporation, in an event designed to showcase the country's advances in IA and anthropomorphic robotics.
This is how the shock happened
The staging aimed for an epic feel: Adol entered to the music of Rocky, escorted by two technicians who kept a close eye on him. After greeting the audience, lost his balance and fell face down. Several team members tried to conceal the scene with a black curtain while they removed the robot, but the attempt was clumsy and left loose parts visible.
Later, a second appearance of the prototype was seen. secured by a safety cableThere were still remnants of its structure on the ground, which further fueled the online conversation and the feeling that it had been put on public display too soon.
What does the project promise?
According to Idol, AIdol is designed to walking, manipulating objects, and communicating with people. To do this, it integrates cameras, a speaker, and a set of seven microphones, in addition to 19 servomotors dedicated to reproducing facial expressions with a silicone cover.
The technical specifications released by the company mention a battery of 48 volts capable of offering up to six hours of autonomy, offline operation, and a walking speed of up to 6 km/hIdol also emphasizes that 77% of the components are locally manufactured, with the goal of exceeding 90% in future iterations.
The exhibit also featured a limbless variant, placed on a pedestal so that the public could interact and converse with the system. The company insists that the core of the project is a set of AI models oriented towards dialogue and motor control that can operate offline.
The official explanation
Following the incident, Idol's CEO, Vladimir Vitukhin, attributed the fall to calibration problems already inadequate lighting. He stressed that AIdol is in the testing phase and defended the setback as part of a "real-time learning" process in which the mistake is transformed into experience, while the engineers review the control software and balancing system.
Reactions and international comparison
Social media was flooded with jokes and memes—some with references to the vodka—but also from voices that recalled how difficult it is to achieve a stable bipedal gait. Even giants like Boston Dynamics documented setbacks in the early stages with Atlas, a reality that, to some extent, normalizes live glitches when working at the limit of hardware and control.
The episode, however, has reignited comparisons with projects in China and the United States: from the advances of Unitree and Figure to the road Tesla with Optimus. In parallel, the boom in the sector has attracted remarkable investments —in 2024 they exceeded 1.600 billion dollars, according to figures cited in the press—, a context that raises expectations and reduces patience with public missteps.
What does this mean for Europe and Spain?
In the European market, the adoption of humanoids faces security requirements, reliability and regulatory compliance (for example, in industrial and service environments) that require very mature prototypes. For Spain, where automation is growing in logistics, retail, and customer service, a system like AIdol would only be viable if it demonstrates robustness, support, and certifications in accordance with EU legislation.
Beyond the viral impact, AIdol's performance leaves a clear message: There is ambitionBut the bar for humanoid robotics is set high. Russia is seeking a seat at the table of leaders, and the Idol team will have to turn this setback into rapid iterations that validate the essentials: walking with stability, manipulating with precision, and interacting safely with people.
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