A technology exhibition at Kish Inox aimed at showcasing Iranian innovation has attracted considerable attention online after attendees and social media users identified the featured “humanoid robots” as human performers dressed in elaborate costumes.
Video footage from a cybersecurity booth showed a male and female artist in patterned jumpsuits and makeup, dressed as robots. The performers moved around the stage with mechanical, deliberate movements.
The performers were disguised as advanced robotic entities. One of the videos widely shared online shows the artists introducing themselves using scripted dialogue filled with technical jargon.
Social media users noted details such as natural skin tones, subtle facial expressions and makeup textures, leading many to conclude that the displays were made by people.
However, representatives of the exhibition later revealed that the two people were doing a short performance for one of the booths. No one claimed they were real robots.
The theatrical presentation was designed as an attractive marketing demonstration rather than a demonstration of functional artificial intelligence.
