Tai Chi practitioner doing Tai Chi with a robot at the World Forum On Robots, in Beijing, on Nov 24. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 90-second demo is more ballet than combat as the man and the machine engage in almost intimate motions. Every time the master comes into contact, the sensor-rich machine, well, senses the touch instantly, determines the amount of pressure in it and 'instinctively' moves in the intended direction.

"This is China's first homegrown seven-axis collaborative robot," said Qu Daokui, president of Siasun Robot & Automation Co, the manufacturer of the motorized arm.

It can be trained by hands to perform a string of industrial tasks like grinding, packaging and feeding parts.