Humanoid robot ‘graduates’ at Chinese high school ceremony

A humanoid robot named Shuang Shuang took part in a high school graduation ceremony in China — highlighting the country’s growing advancement in robotics technology.

Footage from the July 1 event in the city of Fujian shows Shuang Shuang marching toward the stage at the 25th Shuangshi High School graduation, carrying an empty tote bag.

The robot stepped into position in front of the school’s faculty seated on the podium, where one of the teachers stood up and approached the machine.

To the delight of the audience, the man and the robot exchanged a handshake, drawing applause from the crowd. The teacher then placed a small certificate inside the robot’s tote bag, and the pair posed for a photo in front of the gathered students.

The scene added a theatrical and forward-looking element to the ceremony, underscoring how rapidly humanoid robotics is moving from research labs into public life and cultural moments.

Shuang Shuang’s appearance comes amid a broader surge in the development and visibility of human and animal-like robots across the globe.

China has recently hosted multiple exhibitions of humanoid robots, demonstrating their agility and growing range of practical applications.

The country is actively investing in robotics development, which has placed it in direct competition with the United States in what some observers describe as a “tech arms race.”

One notable example of this trend is the recent public deployment of a military-style robot dog seen protecting President Donald Trump in Florida earlier this month.

Meanwhile, eccentric billionaire Elon Musk — who played a high-profile role in Trump’s recent election victory — continues to push the boundaries of robotic innovation.

Musk recently introduced Optimus, a humanoid robot he described as a “multi-functional assistant.” According to Musk, Optimus is capable of handling a range of household chores, playing with children and performing various repetitive tasks.