Russian Humanoid Robot AIDOL Falls During Presentation in Moscow

During a technology exhibition in Moscow, the Russian humanoid robot "AIDOL" faced an unexpected mishap as it fell to the ground moments after its debut presentation. The incident occurred while the robot, accompanied by two developers, attempted to greet the audience to the iconic theme music from "Rocky." The fall took attendees by surprise and quickly gained traction on social media, as reported by the Washington Post.

Organizers promptly drew the curtain to conceal the situation while team members hurried to remove the robot from the stage. Meanwhile, audience members captured the moment, leading to a flurry of humorous commentary online.

AIDOL, developed by a company established in August 2025, stands 1.86 meters tall and weighs approximately 95 kilograms. It can display over 12 facial expressions, carry loads of up to 10 kilograms, and move at speeds nearing 6 kilometers per hour, according to the company’s website.

Vladimir Vitukhin, the CEO, suggested that the fall could have been caused by fluctuations in electrical voltage or lighting conditions in the hall. He humorously remarked, "Perhaps it evoked sympathy from the audience... and that’s part of its job!"

AIDOL is a key project under Russia's "New Technological Alliance," which aims to unite robotics firms and technical universities to advance humanoid robot development, targeting investments of up to $50 million.

Alexey Yuzhakov, head of the alliance and founder of "Promobot," confirmed that AIDOL is equipped with artificial intelligence that allows it to learn from experiences. He emphasized ongoing efforts to enhance the robot's functionality following the incident. This development occurs amid a global competition among major firms like Tesla, Meta, and Google to create humanoid robots, with forecasts indicating the U.S. could have over 78 million humanoid robots by 2050.