Humanoid robot tries on a Rolex watch in New York, surprises people as it goes on a casual stroll. Watch

A surreal sight of a robot casually walking and greeting caught New Yorkers off guard. It entered different stores as well. Watch the video here.

A humanoid robot called KOID, developed by Chinese robotics company Unitree and powered by Stanford’s OpenMind software, freaked out New Yorkers as it casually strolled down Fifth Avenue, doing human things like waving, entering a Rolex store and trying out a watch with an uncanny, near-human-like ease.

In another episode of the sci-fi future becoming eerily real in plain sight, this $100,000 drew gasps and turned heads from the otherwise unshakable, unbothered New Yorkers. This viral attention was a marketing stunt by KraneShares to promote its Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Index ETF.

Robot wears Rolex

The US partner of Unitree Robotics, Robostore, shared clips of the robot's day out on their Instagram. In a fascinating moment, the robot was seen entering a Rolex store and greeting a sales representative. Inside, the staff helped the robot try on a Rolex GMT-Master II watch featuring a blue bezel and black dial, straight from the display.

What are the reactions?

The reactions were a mixed bag, as expected, after all, it’s not every day you see a humanoid robot casually roaming in daylight. NewYorkers Live interviewed people on the street and shared their responses on their Instagram.

One man called it ‘scary’ and said he wouldn’t want it around his children. A tween, on the other hand, admitted the robot was ‘cool’ and said there’s a lot to learn from interacting with robots; just ‘as long as they don’t take over the world.’ Another person jokingly asked, 'Is the robot getting paid as much as I am?' while someone else couldn’t help but bring up the inevitable comparison with Terminator. For the uninformed, the Terminator franchise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead, follows the plot of AI robots rising up against humanity.

But one man pointed at a more positive view, reminding that machines already help us in many ways, like trucks or cars, which help carry logs uphill. Similarly, robots, which are inherently machine, could be a helpful addition in daily life, reducing the workload.