A small company in China has done something really surprising. In just two years, it made a robot that is giving Elon Musk and his Tesla company a big headache. The company is called EngineAI Robotics. It started in 2023 with very little money, but still managed to build a powerful robot named T800.
People now call this robot the “Bruce Lee Robot” because it can kick and move like a martial arts fighter. It can even do a spinning kick. Because of this, many people are comparing it to Tesla’s robot called Optimus.
China’s Bruce Lee Robot
The T800 robot is strong, fast, and flexible. It can move its body smoothly and do cool actions like a roundhouse kick. When Tesla showed a video of its Optimus robot running a few steps and called it a big achievement, people in China were not very impressed. That’s because many Chinese robots can already run, dance, and even do martial arts.
Is the Chinese Robot Stronger Than Tesla’s?
Tesla shared a short video showing Optimus running and said it was a new record. But in China, this felt very normal. Robots have been doing much more for a long time. EngineAI’s T800 doesn’t just run it kicks, spins, and moves like a fighter. That made people feel it was more advanced than Optimus.
People Started Doubting Elon Musk’s Robot
During a live show in Miami, Tesla’s Optimus robot tried to give someone a water bottle. But it lost its balance and fell down. When it fell, its hands went up to its head, which looked like a human taking off a VR headset. This made people wonder if the robot was being controlled by a human from far away instead of working by itself.
The video of this fall spread quickly on social media.
Social Media Made Fun of Optimus
After the video went viral, many people joked about it online. One person asked, “If the robot costs $20,000, do we also have to pay extra for the person controlling it?” These jokes showed that people were not fully convinced about how smart or independent Optimus really is.
How a Small Chinese Company Moved So Fast
EngineAI started very small. The company could only hire young and beginner engineers. Still, the CEO, Zhao Tongyang, and his team built everything themselves—both the robot’s body and its brain (software). Even though Tesla was famous and ahead at first, EngineAI worked very fast and soon caught up.
Chinese Robots Are Also Much Cheaper
One big reason EngineAI is doing so well is price. In 2024, the company launched its first robot, called SA01, for a very low price. It was much cheaper than robots from other countries. This was possible because China has many factories close together, so parts are easy and cheap to get.
Later, in December, EngineAI launched the T800 robot. Even though it is very powerful, it still costs less than many other robots around the world.
