Teleoperated vs Autonomous Robots at Events

Most humanoid robots at events today run on a mix of three things: pre-programmed routines, live control by a human operator, and some autonomous functions such as keeping balance. Audiences rarely see the difference, so what matters is choosing the right mode for each moment and describing it honestly. All three modes are legitimate; misleading your audience about them is the real risk.

Three modes, in plain terms

Pre-programmed: a routine – a dance, a wave, a scripted greeting – prepared in advance and played back on cue. It is the most predictable option for a stage moment.
Teleoperated: an operator controls the robot in real time, for example with a handheld controller. Unitree lists a manual controller as included with the G1, and the G1 user manual from its German distributor describes a remote that moves the robot forward, backward and sideways, turns it on the spot and has a range of more than 100 m in open surroundings.
Autonomous: the robot decides what to do from its own sensors and software. Some autonomy is almost always present – a walking robot has to keep its own balance – and some robots have autonomous routines. Aldebaran's documentation, for example, says Pepper can find its charging station and dock on it by itself once the station is installed and configured.

Many appearances mix these. A robot can walk on its own while an operator chooses where it goes, what it says and when it waves.

What well-known events show

High-profile demonstrations have used humans in the loop, sometimes openly and sometimes not.

Tesla's We, Robot event (October 2024): TechCrunch, citing Bloomberg, reported that the Optimus robots could walk without external control but that remote employees oversaw many of their interactions with guests. In one video, a robot serving drinks acknowledged that a human was assisting it.
Robot boxing in Hangzhou (May 2025): Yicai reported that four Unitree G1 robots in a televised boxing contest were remotely controlled by human operators. Robots fell, one got tangled in the ropes and two had to be separated by referees.
The Beijing humanoid half marathon: the 2025 rules accepted both manual remote control (including semi-autonomous operation) and fully autonomous control. Rudaw reported that more than 20 robots took part, supported by human navigators, and AP gave the 2025 winner's time as 2 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds. At the 2026 race, AP reported that about 40% of the robots navigated autonomously and the rest were remotely controlled. An autonomous robot won in 50 minutes 26 seconds, while a remote-controlled robot that crossed the line first, in 48:19, did not take the title under the event's weighted scoring.

The lesson for event planners is not that teleoperation is cheating. It is that remote control is common even at flagship events, and that the Beijing organisers chose to name the mode openly and score it differently.

What manufacturers say about their own robots

Manufacturer pages are careful about the gap between marketing videos and what a robot does out of the box. Unitree's G1 page says some of the sample functions shown are still being developed and tested, describes the humanoid robot industry as being at an early stage of exploration, and advises buyers to understand the limitations of humanoid robots. Its Go2 page notes that, because of current technical and computing limits, some functions are achieved through human operation or secondary development.

So when you see a video of a robot doing something impressive, ask the supplier which of those behaviours they can deliver at your venue, in which mode and with how much preparation. Custom routines take time; see custom programming and choreography.

Choosing the mode for each moment

Stage reveal or show segment: a pre-programmed routine, supervised by an operator who is ready to stop it.
Walking among visitors: live control by an operator who can see the crowd, with the robot's own balance control doing its part.
Conversations: ask whether speech is scripted, voiced live by a person or generated by conversational software, and how it copes with noise – see speech, languages and noisy venues.
Photo moments: short pre-programmed poses triggered by the operator keep queues moving and give predictable results.
Unattended periods: do not plan for them. Someone from the supplier should be responsible for the robot whenever it is switched on.

If you are comparing robot types for a format, the robot catalogue and the trade-show use case are good starting points.

Being honest with your audience

humanoid4rent's safety page recommends asking the supplier plainly whether what you will see is autonomous, teleoperated or pre-programmed, and treats a vague answer as a warning sign. It also asks hirers to make sure their own marketing does not claim something the robot is not doing.

In practice that means:

writing press releases, social posts and stage scripts that match the mode;
letting a host mention who is guiding the robot – showing the operator at work can become part of the act;
not describing a teleoperated conversation as AI-generated;
agreeing with the supplier what their staff will say if a visitor or journalist asks.

Questions to ask the supplier

For each part of the programme, is the robot pre-programmed, teleoperated or autonomous?
Where will the operator stand, and will they be visible to the audience?
Which of the functions in your videos can you deliver at our venue on the day?
What preparation does a custom routine need, and when do you need our script?
What happens if the connection to the controller drops – does the robot stop, sit down or carry on?
How will you describe the robot's capabilities to visitors and press?

Put the answers into your request or the quote thread so they become part of the agreed scope.

Checklist

Mode agreed for every programme segment.
Operator position and visibility agreed.
Demonstrated functions confirmed as deliverable at your venue.
Script and custom routines delivered by the supplier's deadline.
Behaviour on signal loss explained.
Press and social copy checked against the agreed mode.
Host and stand staff briefed on how to answer the question "is it real?"

FAQ

Are humanoid robots at events usually autonomous?

Usually only partly. Balance and some routines may run autonomously, but movement and interaction are often controlled by an operator, as reporting on events from Tesla's 2024 showcase to the Beijing half marathon shows.

Can the audience tell if a robot is teleoperated?

Often not, which is why disclosure is up to you and the supplier. Decide in advance how the host and staff will answer the question.

Is a teleoperated robot less impressive?

Not necessarily. Live control lets an operator react to the people in front of the robot, and showing the operator can become part of the show. The risk lies in describing the show inaccurately.

Should we say that the robot is remote-controlled?

humanoid4rent recommends that audiences are not misled and that marketing does not overstate what the robot does. The simplest approach is to describe the mode accurately whenever it comes up.

Sources

How this guide was made: prepared with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed above on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.