The best and most ridiculous robots of 2025 in pictures
Some of the world's most advanced robots showed off their skills at tech shows and sporting events, doing everything from cooking shrimp to running half marathons
Technology
Some of the world's most advanced robots showed off their skills at tech shows and sporting events, doing everything from cooking shrimp to running half marathons
29 December 2025
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Robbyant’s R1 cooks up a storm
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
This striking humanoid robot is the R1 from Robbyant, a company owned by Chinese tech giant Ant Group. The allure of humanoid robots is their versatility – you can imagine them doing any job that a human can, simply because they have the same appendages.
But unlike wheeled robots, they have to deal with balancing on two legs, which is no mean feat. The R1 strikes a balance, with a stable wheeled base and a humanoid form from the waist up.
The R1 certainly made an impressive entrance at the IFA 2025 tech show in Berlin, where it demonstrated its skills in the kitchen, cooking up shrimp – albeit at a very relaxed pace. Its makers say it could be put to work as a carer, nurse or tour guide.
A Tiangong robot takes a tumble
Zhang Xiangyi/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
