Staff at a California restaurant had to control a dancing humanoid robot. This happened after the robot went out of control. The robot was dancing at the "Haidilao" restaurant. This restaurant is known for its "hot pot" dish. It is located in Cupertino, California.
The robot danced too much. It got too close to a table. Then, it started breaking plates. Utensils and chopsticks went everywhere. Restaurant workers had to step in. A video of this was posted on the Chinese social network "Xiaohongshu".
The video shows at least three employees. They struggled to hold the robot. The robot waved its arms around. This was reported by "TechCrunch", a technology news website. "Al Arabiya Business" also saw the report.
A dancing humanoid robot got a little too funky during a performance in Cupertino, California and had to be restrained by staff after knocking items off a table. pic.twitter.com/nZQsGoFHn6
— ABC News (@ABC) March 19, 2026
One Haidilao employee seemed to look at her phone. She might have been trying to use an app to control the robot. The robot might be an "Agilite X2" model. This model was shown at the "CES" conference in January. It may have an emergency stop button. However, the staff might not have known how to use it.
This caused panic. The "hot pot" dish uses very hot soup. The pots stay heated by a flame underneath. If the robot knocked over the hot soup pots, it could cause serious burns. Robot movements could also cause damage.
The Haidilao restaurant chain confirmed the mechanical issue. They sent a statement to "NBC News". However, they denied that the robot was "broken or out of control".
The chain, which sells hot pot meals, said: "In this case, the robot was brought close to a dining table at a guest's request. This is not its usual operating setting. The limited space affected its movement during the performance."
Haidilao restaurants tested a smart restaurant in Beijing. They used robots to serve food. They also used machines to mix soup. It seems the restaurant used these robots for fun. But things got out of control. The robot got too close to customers.
Many new companies are working to bring robots into food service. ShenStar is developing fully automated kitchens. The "BellaBot" robot from "Pudu Robotics" looks like a cute cat. It can guide customers to seats. It can also bring food to them.