China has unveiled "Fuxi," a new humanoid robot developed to carry out operations in locations where sending a human would pose a risk. The robot was developed by China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO), a state-owned Chinese company linked to the defense sector.
The system was presented at the 2026 World Robot Conference in Beijing and was designed primarily for reconnaissance, patrolling, and operations in hazardous environments; however, one of Fuxi's key features lies beyond the robot itself. Alongside the robot, NORINCO developed a teleoperation system known as "External Avatar."
This technology allows a person to remain in a safe location while remotely controlling a humanoid robot in a different environment. The system detects the operator's movements and transfers those actions to Fuxi, which reproduces them in real time. To achieve this, engineers worked on technologies for human motion perception, motion transfer between distinct bodies, and full-body robot control.
According to NORINCO, the system accurately replicates the movements performed by the operator during remote operations. The "Avatar" was unveiled as China's first independently developed teleoperation solution for full-sized humanoid robots in the approximately 90 kg class.
The concept involves establishing a model where the human remains away from the danger zone while the robot physically carries out the operation on-site. This type of teleoperation also opens up interesting possibilities for future off-Earth applications; a system based on the same principle could allow humanoids to be sent to the Moon or Mars to perform work either before or during the presence of astronauts. Instead of requiring a person to be physically exposed to the external environment, a human could control the robots remotely, using a mechanical body to inspect facilities, handle equipment, or perform specific tasks.
That space application is not part of the Fuxi project presented by NORINCO, but it is a potential extension of the concept of using humanoids as physical avatars in inaccessible or hazardous locations; however, there is a significant difference between the Moon and Mars. On the Moon, the communication lag with Earth is approximately 1.3 seconds each way, making some form of Earth-based teleoperation possible, albeit with a perceptible delay. On Mars, the distance makes direct control much more difficult; the signal can take between 3 and 22 minutes each way, depending on the planets' positions. In that scenario, a humanoid would need to combine teleoperation with much higher levels of autonomy, executing some actions locally while receiving commands and objectives from Earth.
Another possibility would be to control these robots from a base or spacecraft located near the planet itself; the principle would remain similar to that demonstrated by Fuxi—physically separating the human from the environment where the work is being performed.
