IFA Puts Robots on the Runway Instead of Human Models

The runway at IFA 2026 featured humanoids and quadruped robots rather than human models. During the September 5 “Robots on the Runway” event, machines walked the stage, struck poses, danced and performed moves including backflips.

IFA’s official program listed participants such as Primebot Robots, EngineAI, Dobot, DEEP Robotics, AgiBot and Unitree. Instead of limiting the machines to booths and specification sheets, the event presented their sensing and motion-control abilities as a live runway show.

A space normally built around clothes and human presentation thus became a robotics demonstration. Once machines acquired humanlike bodies, apparently one of the next tasks waiting for them was learning how to make an entrance.