At the XPeng X9 Super Range Extender launch event in Guangzhou on November 6, XPeng Inc. CEO He Xiaopeng made an unprecedented move to dispel skepticism—cutting open the calf of the company’s newly unveiled "female" humanoid robot, IRON, live on stage. This marked the first time a robot has physically demonstrated it was not a human in disguise.

The controversy arose after XPeng’s 2025 Tech Day on November 5, where the company showcased breakthroughs including IRON’s catwalk-like gait, Robotaxi advancements, its second-gen VLA AI model, and plans for mass delivery of flying cars. IRON, touted as the most human-like robot yet, features a spine-muscle-skin structure with bionic joints, flexible full-coverage skin, a 3D curved head display, and 22-dexterity hands.

Despite its lifelike movements and "thinking brain," critics speculated a real person might be hidden inside IRON. He Xiaopeng admitted the comments stung, revealing his robotics team lost sleep over the accusations. Earlier that day, XPeng released an unedited video displaying IRON’s internal lattice muscles and harmonic joints to debunk the claims.

During the car-focused event, He redirected attention to IRON, inviting it onstage to strut before a technician cut open its leg covering in three minutes—exposing mechanical components while the robot remained powered on. The demonstration silenced doubts as IRON calmly exited.

The event also highlighted XPeng’s new "Kunpeng" super range-extender technology, addressing global charging infrastructure gaps. He cited power outages in Mexico, obscured chargers in snowy Northeast China, and Australia’s 1,300-km uninhabited zones as key reasons for developing the solution. XPeng first announced its range-extender project on November 6, 2024.