The stage suddenly looked less like a talent show and more like something from the future. Eight humanoid robots walked onto the America’s Got Talent stage, and the judges had no idea just how far the performance was about to go.
Standing alongside them was 26-year-old Chinese dancer and engineer Wu Yufei, better known by his stage name, Flyingbug. Together, he and the eight Unitree G1 robots delivered one of the strangest and most memorable auditions of the 2026 season.
The routine began with the robots moving alongside Wu to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” At first, it was easy to wonder how much the machines could actually do. That question did not last long.
The G1 robots quickly started matching the dancer’s movements, changing formations and moving their arms and legs in perfect synchronization. Their routine included fast choreography, martial-arts-inspired movements and surprisingly sharp changes in position.
Then came the moment that really changed the mood inside the theater.
All eight robots performed synchronized flips and landed together.
The audience immediately rose to its feet. On the judges’ panel, the reaction was just as strong. Watching one humanoid robot perform impressive movements is already unusual. Seeing eight machines execute the same complicated sequence at almost exactly the same time was something else entirely.
Simon Cowell Couldn’t Believe What He Was Seeing
Simon Cowell was clearly stunned by the audition. He called the performance “insane” and “nuts, but brilliant,” especially praising the fact that the robots were not simply walking around or moving mechanically.
They had rhythm.
Sofía Vergara was also fascinated by the performance, while Mel B admitted that seeing the robots move in such a human-like way was “freaky.” Howie Mandel was equally impressed as the routine continued.
The act also had a playful side. After the main performance, the robots interacted with the judges, turning what could have been a simple technology demonstration into an entertaining AGT audition.
All four judges — Simon Cowell, Sofía Vergara, Howie Mandel and Mel B — voted YES, sending the act through to the next stage.
There was no Golden Buzzer, but the reaction from the room made it clear that Unitree had already made its mark.
Behind the performance was Wu Yufei, a Chinese dancer and engineer who combines his passion for dance with robotics. Known as Flyingbug, he reportedly dreamed of appearing on America’s Got Talent for years and wanted to use the opportunity to introduce audiences to Chinese robotics while exploring the connection between humans and machines.
The robots themselves were Unitree G1 humanoid robots. Their performance was impressive not simply because they could walk or move their arms, but because eight separate machines had to maintain balance and perform complicated movements together.
The choreography included synchronized arm and leg movements, formation changes, rapid transitions, balance control and acrobatic sequences. One robot was reportedly nicknamed “Jackie,” inspired by Jackie Chan and the martial-arts style used during parts of the routine.
Of course, the robots were not independently deciding what moves to perform. The routine was carefully programmed, rehearsed and performed under controlled conditions. But getting multiple humanoid robots to reliably execute such demanding movements at the same time is still a major technical challenge.
From Audition Shock to the Live Shows
The audition also had a bigger meaning for robotics fans.
Unitree has become one of the recognizable names in the rapidly developing humanoid-robot industry, and putting its machines on one of America’s biggest entertainment programs gave the technology a completely different kind of spotlight.
The appearance also brought back memories of Boston Dynamics’ robot dogs, which appeared on AGT during the previous season with their own synchronized routine. Unitree’s machines took the idea a step further by using humanoid robots capable of movements much closer to human dancing.
But the biggest surprise came after the audition.
Unitree didn’t simply disappear after receiving four YES votes. The act advanced through the competition and became part of the Season 21 live shows.
As of September 4, 2026, the robots are still competing and are scheduled to perform in the fourth quarterfinal on September 8.
That performance could be even more important than the audition. The first appearance showed the judges and audience what the G1 robots could do under an audition setting. Now they have to prove they can deliver another memorable routine in the much tougher live-show stage.
The big question is simple: what can they possibly do next?
After synchronized flips, human-like choreography and a stage full of dancing robots, expectations are already high. If Wu Yufei and Unitree return with something even more ambitious, they could have one of the most unusual acts of the entire 2026 season.
For now, the robots have already achieved something remarkable — they walked onto an AGT stage as machines and left the audience talking about them like performers.
Let’s see what they bring to the live show.