Upgraded NIX showcases advanced dance, flipping and dynamic motion capabilities Startup to provide 100 robots and open SDK access to selected global partners

Suzhou, China/June 1, 2026 - LUMOS Robotics, a Chinese humanoid robotics startup, is offering 100 free NIX humanoid robots to selected universities, robotics labs, developers and creative technologists worldwide as part of a new initiative aimed at accelerating experimentation in embodied AI and human-robot interaction, becoming the first known Chinese humanoid robotics startup to launch such a large-scale co-creation program.

The program, called "Project EDGE — LUMOS NIX 100 Co-Creation Program," will provide 100 selected partners with complimentary NIX units, access to the company's open SDK and technical support.

LUMOS says the initiative is designed to foster collaboration with global researchers and developers while expanding humanoid robotics applications beyond entertainment and demonstration scenarios.

"Through the Project EDGE program we have launched, we will provide 100 units of NIX to selected builders, universities and robotics labs worldwide," said Yu Chao, founder and CEO of LUMOS Robotics.

"Selected teams will not only receive a free LUMOS NIX robot, but also open SDK access and technical support. We look forward to exploring the future of humanoid robotics together."

The announcement comes as LUMOS unveils an upgraded version of its compact humanoid robot NIX, featuring more dynamic motion capabilities, enhanced whole-body coordination and improved performance in high-speed dance routines, flips and other complex movements.

In a recently released demonstration video, NIX performs agile footwork, rapid dance sequences and acrobatic maneuvers, showcasing the company's latest advances in embodied AI, dynamic motion control and human-robot interaction.

"LUMOS represents a superb embodied system engineering approach. Powered by our industry-leading, proprietary motion control algorithms and fully in-house-developed LUMOS P-60 joint modules, NIX delivers extreme performance in humanoid motion," Yu said.

The company views the co-creation initiative as a way to accelerate humanoid robotics experimentation beyond entertainment demos and into broader real-world applications.

Developers participating in the program will be encouraged to submit custom motion intents and movement fragments through standardized interfaces. The platform then conducts simulation verification, dynamics validation and safety screening before converting them into robot-executable actions, creating a broader framework for humanoid motion development.

Behind NIX's acrobatic performances is a motion-control system trained through a combination of motion capture, simulation and reinforcement learning. Rather than simply replaying prerecorded human movements, the robot learns to adapt actions to its own physical structure and mechanical constraints.

LUMOS trains the system using reference trajectories derived from animation data, simulation optimization and manually designed actions. The robot learns to execute those movements while maintaining balance, smoothness and energy efficiency. Training involves large-scale parallel simulations that expose NIX to varying landing conditions, contact patterns and disturbances before deployment in the real world.

The robot continuously monitors joint states, body orientation, velocity and ground contact in real time, allowing it to dynamically adjust when friction, posture or external forces change unexpectedly.

The hardware underpinning those capabilities is the company's proprietary LUMOS P-60 joint module, a compact integrated system combining motors, sensors and control electronics. Designed for fast and stable motion, each module weighs just 570 grams and measures 64 millimeters in diameter.

Despite its compact size, the module delivers the torque and precision needed to support explosive whole-body movements while maintaining balance and control. It can reach rotational speeds of up to 160 RPM, enabling aerial flips, side handsprings, one-arm handstands, windmills and rapid rotational movements.

LUMOS has attracted attention from global robotics leaders before. In January 2025, Figure AI founder and CEO Brett Adcock highlighted the company's progress after LUMOS demonstrated the fall-recovery capabilities of its LUS1 humanoid robot.

"Chinese startup LUMOS Robotics shared progress on LUS1 humanoid, which can now face hurdles, fall and stand back up again. The startup is just 4 months old," Adcock wrote on social media.

He later added: "China's LUMOS Robotics released a clip showing the fall recovery capability of its LUS1 humanoid. In the video, the robot, which is being designed for adaptability in unstructured environments, can be seen getting back on its feet in one second."

With NIX, LUMOS is extending those capabilities beyond mobility and recovery into high-dynamic human-robot interaction scenarios. The robot's street dance performances highlight advances in balance control, embodied AI and motion generalization, while the co-creation initiative positions NIX as an open development platform for researchers, developers and creative technologists around the world.

The core R&D team at LUMOS Robotics includes researchers and engineers from Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the State University of New York and Shanghai AI Laboratory. Team members bring more than a decade of average experience in embodied AI development and large-scale consumer technology deployment.

Interested developers, researchers and robotics teams can apply to join the Project EDGE Co-Creation Program: https://www.lumosbot.tech/project-edge/index.html