Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG unveiled the second generation of its humanoid robot on Thursday at the company’s 2025 AI Day event. However, the robot modelled as a woman walked so naturally, including a catwalk on the stage, that people at the venue and on social media started claiming that it is a human inside a robot suit. To rebut claims, the CEO himself appeared on the stage to reveal the inside of the robot.
The debut of the AI robot Next-Gen IRON was held at XPeng’s headquarters in Guangzhou, to showcase the EV maker’s achievements in the robotics. The 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing just 77 kilograms, the robot stunned audiences when it walked on the stage. Even though the robot demonstrated by the company lacked a natural-looking head and had only a glass face with metallic head, the machine demonstrated fluid, human-like movements. It even performed a catwalk on the stage, mimicking fashion models on ramp.
However, the robot’s realistic movements, with subtle head tilts and arm swings, were too realistic for some people, and it was accused of being a human inside a robot suit. As videos of the performance appeared on social media, users on platforms like X, Weibo and Douyin started to post the allegation, questioning how a robot can walk so naturally.
Flooded with the allegations, CEO of the company, He Xiaopeng, released a video to prove that IRON is indeed a robot. He read out some of the social media comments claiming that the robot is a human, and went on to reveal the inside of the machine. He said that if one stands near the robot, one can feel air coming out of the cooling system inside the robot, and the whirling sounds of the motors and fans also can be heard.
Xiaopeng then got a technician to open the zipper on the back of the robot’s dress, which revealed the mesh-like synthetic skin, through which the machines inside the structure can be seen, with some blinking lights. He also removed the clothing from a hand and wrist to reveal the mechanical structure inside.
He also showed some openings at the robot’s shoulders, used for stabilizing, and said that if one touches the head, the microphones can be felt. He Xiaopeng also said that IRON’s appearance was designed to be recognizably human.
However, people didn’t stop questioning the authenticity of the robot. They claimed that the zipper on the back was not fully opened, and as they didn’t demonstrate the catwalk, it might be a genuine while the one that walked on the stage was a person in robot costume. Some even claimed that the video was AI generated.
Responding to these comments, XPENG brought back the robot to the stage next day on Friday, saying that the remarks were painfull for them. There, the company’s engineers cut open a leg of the robot to reveal the mechanical structures covered by a synthetic skin.
A spokesperson of the company said, ‘Eventually, we came to a rather forced last-resort solution, we decided to use scissors to cut open the robot’s lower leg area. He said, “Inside you will see that you will see that this robot has skin, muscles and bones. Before this moment, we never tried cutting open a powered-on robot to remove its skin and muscle layers.”
The official said that the company’s robotics team strongly opposed it, but they decided to go ahead.
On stage, a technician first cut the trouser of the left leg of the robot usinc a scissor, revealing the synthetic skin with mesh structer at the knee area. After that, she proceeded to cut and remove a portin of the skin, revealing the bionic muscles and bones inside. After that, IRON performed the catwalk with the exposed leg, proving that it is indeed a robot.
According to the company, IRON’s design incorporates a biomimetic spine for natural posture, bionic muscle fibres for precise motion, and flexible synthetic skin that gives it an lifelike appearance. XPeng engineers claimed that that IRON’s gait surpasses that of competitors like Tesla’s Optimus, with over 82 degrees of freedom, including 22 in each hand, that allow seamless transitions between walking, turning, and even light jogging.
It also supports customization for different body shapes. The robot is run by 3 Turing AI chips developed by the company, with an effective computing power of 3000 TOPS (trillions of operations per second).
XPENG says that IRON is different from the design concepts of most humanoid robots, as its design concept is “born from within”. The robot uses all-solid-state batteries, reducing overall weight. The robot will go into mass production by 2026, and potential applications include sectors like manufacturing, elder care, and household assistance. Its price has been projected at around $20,000.
Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology Co., Ltd, commonly known as XPENG, is a major electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou in Guangdong. Volkswagen Group has signed an agreement with the company for joint development of electric cars.
