Before introducing KAI the ultra-lifelike humanoid robot, Shenzhen-based KinetixAI demonstrated its foundational AI in collaboration with researchers from the University of Hong Kong.
They built a full pipeline to empower a Unitree G1 humanoid robot to play table tennis using only its onboard cameras and learned motion control.
They first created a large set of striking motions for simulation training so the humanoid’s digital twin could practice different ways of striking the ball using its whole body. This included variations like forehands and backhands and hitting the ping pong ball at different positions and angles. The researchers refined each motion in simulation to get the right balance, timing, and physical realism, giving the G1 a large library of reliable ways to respond to different incoming shots.
In the real world, the robot they trained could reportedly sustain rallies exceeding a hundred consecutive hits. It handled a range of shots including smashes and low returns while maintaining balance using full body coordination. The team said the system remained stable even with noisy perception, though performance was slightly better in simulation than in physical reality.
Shenzhen-based @Kai_Robotics has unveiled KAI, a humanoid robot pushing mechanical limits with a massive 115 degrees of freedom.
The team demonstrated continuous omnidirectional walking just seven months after the company's founding.
Link to more information in the next tweet.
SMASH vs. World Champion Chen Meng 🏓🤖
What a match!
On April 23, 2026, Beyond Imagination brought SMASH — the world’s first outdoor autonomous humanoid ping pong robot system — to the Shandong City Table Tennis Super League in Zibo.
World champion Chen Meng, CCTV host Ju Ping, commentator Gao Han, actor Zhang Xiaolong and other guests stepped up to challenge the robot live on stage.
Real rallies. Real reactions.
Humanoid robots are entering the real world.
I’m KAI, training to improve my upper-body mobility.
KAI’s range of motion and dexterity continue to improve.
Human movement depends on full-body coordination, not isolated joints.
With targeted training, KAI now performs wide-range, coordinated movements across the waist, shoulders, and hands.
This upper-body control is key to stable, precise, and safe object interaction in real environments.
It's KAI walking routine.
This video captures a stage in KAI's journey toward human society.
Its gait may not be perfect yet, but KAI can already achieve long-duration, omnidirectional, continuous walking.
We believe that for humanoid robots to enter the home, long-duration omnidirectional walking is an important step.
This is not the final result, but an important part of the process.
It's KAI walking routine.
This video captures a stage in KAI's journey toward human society.
Its gait may not be perfect yet, but KAI can already achieve long-duration, omnidirectional, continuous walking.
We believe that for humanoid robots to enter the home, long-duration omnidirectional walking is an important step.
This is not the final result, but an important part of the process.
Holy… is this really not a human?
That was my reaction too,I could hardly believe it.
This is an ultra-humanlike humanoid robot.
1.73 m tall, 70 kg, with 115 degrees of freedom across the body,36 in the hands alone,and full-body tactile skin.
…
This is KAI, the first humanoid robot from Shenzhen-based KinetixAI.
It’s essentially a 1:1 human replica,except it has no face.
I wonder if it could use Aheadform’s M1? that will be interesting.
Powered by its KAI World Model and trained on large-scale Engocentric data, it can fold clothes, use tools, handle deliveries and takeout, and assist with childcare,covering a wide range of household tasks.
Ok, expectations for Tesla Optimus v3 have been raised once again.
مستوى الواقعية في روبوتات الصين وصل لمرحلة مرعبة!
الكل مصدوم من روبوت (KAI) الجديد من شركة KinetixAI أول ما تشوفه بتحلف إنه إنسان لابس قناع
تخيل روبوت بـ 115 درجة حركة (36 منها في اليدين بس)، ومغطى بـ جلد يستشعر اللمس بالكامل
الروبوت تدرب على نماذج ذكاء اصطناعي تخليه يطوي الملابس، يستخدم الأدوات، يستلم طلباتك، وحتى يساعد في رعاية الأطفال
إيلون ماسك وروبوت تسلا (Optimus v3) صاروا في موقف محرج جداً
Hi, I’m KAI. And yes — it introduced itself on stage. 🤖
Kinetix AI just launched its full-size humanoid robot KAI at its latest event.
Not with a keynote.
But with two robots talking to each other.
KAI is built around three things: understanding the world, learning from the world, and interacting with the world.
At the core is its World Model, designed to predict how environments change, not just react to them.
Then comes a first-person dataset, collected through a head-mounted system with eight cameras — capturing how humans see, move, and interact in real scenarios.
And finally, a three-stage training pipeline that turns those experiences into usable skills.
The body matches the idea.
KAI stands 173 cm, 70 kg, with 115 degrees of freedom across the body.
Each hand has 36 degrees of freedom, allowing both precise manipulation and compliant contact.
It also carries a full-body tactile system with 18,000 touch points, sensitive enough to detect light contact.
On stage, it didn’t just move.
It explained itself.
This isn’t a human… it’s KAI. 🤯
An ultra-humanlike robot from KinetixAI:
• 1.73 m, 70 kg
• 115 DOF (36 in hands)
• Full-body tactile skin
Folds clothes, uses tools, handles deliveries—even childcare.
Follow @AInewshuborg for more AI breakthroughs
A pair of humanoid robots from the Shenzhen startup KinetixAI awkwardly introduce themselves to the world.
The startup was launched by former core R&D team members from XPeng, who contributed to the EV maker's flagship Iron humanoid robot. Its roster also includes academic supervisors from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Jia Tong University.
Kinetix is making some pretty big claims about its flagship humanoid KAI.
The full-sized humanoid has a reported 115 degrees of freedom (DoF) across its body for a wide range of motion. Its body is covered with tactile skin that's described as having more than 18,000 sensing points.
KAI's hands are especially advanced, boasting 36 DoF. This is more than any robotic hand entering the market and even exceeds the moving joints of human hands, which typically have 27 DoF.
It's also one of the first humanoid robots powered by a semi-solid-state battery (alongside Iron and EngineAI's T800). According to Kinetix, KAI runs on its self-developed world model.
The startup is pitching the humanoid as a general-purpose helper to compete with humanoids from Tesla, Figure AI, and 1X Technologies. They're targeting pricing below $40,000 for basic models.