Khaberni - What began as an entertainment display for a robot quickly turned into a popular comic moment for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team in the United States.
During a team gathering, a humanoid robot by Unietri Robotics of China showcased its karate moves before capturing the attention of NBA star, Kyrie Irving.
While the cameras rolled, Irving playfully stood in front of the "G1" robot, which is 127 cm tall, towering over it by about 60 cm. He then gave the robot a light nudge, causing it to stumble backwards before falling to the ground, where it remained motionless, eliciting laughter from his teammates and the audience alike, according to a report by "Interesting Engineering," a technology and engineering news site.
This amusing incident widely spread online, where some viewers noted that it demonstrated that humans still have the upper hand over humanoid robots, at least for now.
During the advanced humanoid robot's visit to the Dallas Mavericks, the team's social media crew documented this comic incident, which happened after the robot donned a Mavericks No. 20 jersey and tried to impress the players with high kicks and exaggerated martial arts movements.
At one moment, it appeared that the robot challenged Irving, moving towards him in a staged confrontation. Despite recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last season, the Mavericks star handled the situation with ease.
With a single forceful nudge, Irving knocked the robot backwards to the ground, and the robot shook visibly as it remained stationary, prompting laughter from the onlookers.
After the robot fell, the player went over to it in an attempt to help it stand back up.
Fans quickly joked about the robot's durability and the level of advancement of robots. Reactions on social media ranged from humor about the "fall" of robots to praise for Irving's strength and quick recovery.
Last week, Unietri launched the world's first app store for humanoid robots, allowing users to control robots via phone and share movements like dancing and martial arts.
