When a humanoid robot strolls NYC streets, pauses to grab a hot dog, and casually tries on sneakers the city that’s seen it all finally stops and stares. That’s exactly what happened in Midtown Manhattan this week when a life sized KOID branded humanoid robot stunned passersby with its hyper realistic movements and human like interactions.
It wasn’t science fiction or a movie shoot. It was a real promotional stunt orchestrated by global asset management firm KraneShares to promote its new Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Index ETF, which launched in June 2025. And it worked spectacularly.
What Actually Happened on the Streets of NYC?
New Yorkers are famously hard to impress. But the KOID humanoid bot managed to pull it off. Wearing sneakers and moving with startling realism, the robot navigated sidewalks, interacted with street vendors, and even mimicked human facial expressions. Its most viral moment? Picking up a hot dog with robotic fingers and looking around as if to say, “What next?”
This was no animatronic costume or street performer. This was a $100,000 embodied AI robot designed for one purpose to blur the line between man and machine, and to make people feel something about the future.
Why Did KraneShares Do This?
The brains behind the operation was KraneShares, which has recently launched the Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence Index ETF (Ticker/HUMN). The goal of this ETF is to give investors exposure to a fast growing sector that includes robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision, and physical AI integration technologies that will define how robots function in human spaces.
Instead of a traditional launch, KraneShares let the product walk the talk literally. We wanted people to feel the future not just read about it, said Jonathan Krane, CEO of KraneShares. When a humanoid robot strolls NYC and sparks genuine emotion, you realize we’re not speculating about AI anymore. We’re living in it.
‘I Thought It Was Human’
Passersby captured the surreal encounter on their phones. One TikTok video, viewed over 11 million times in 48 hours, showed the robot tilting its head and blinking as it studied a sneaker ad in a storefront window. I honestly thought it was a person in cosplay, said Amanda Lin, a student visiting from Toronto. But then it moved differently. And I got chills.
Another onlooker, Henry Cruz, a delivery cyclist, shared, First, it ate a hot dog. Then it nodded at me. That’s when I pedaled the hell outta there. This strong emotional response awe, confusion, even fear is exactly why the stunt gained such viral traction. When a humanoid robot strolls NYC, it creates a deeply human moment a mix of wonder and discomfort about where we’re heading.
Why This Matters
Dr. Elena Morris, an AI ethicist and roboticist at Stanford, explains the impact of events like this, The psychological effect of a human like machine acting autonomously in public taps into a concept called the ‘uncanny valley.’ It’s when something looks and acts almost human but not quite. That gap makes people uneasy. And that unease forces dialogue.
That dialogue is essential, especially as embodied intelligence becomes more prevalent in healthcare, education, elder care, logistics, and urban security. By launching a fund tied to these themes, KraneShares isn’t just investing in tech it’s investing in the societal evolution around it.
Viral Impact = Financial Interest
The marketing stunt delivered serious results, The ETF’s website saw a +22% spike in organic traffic in 72 hours, Media coverage spanned across Bloomberg, CNBC, and Wired. Over 30 million social media impressions were tracked using the hashtag #KOIDRobot. Retail investors on Reddit’s r/Stocks and r/technology began analyzing the fund for future potential
This proves that a well executed campaign when rooted in real innovation drives both attention and financial interest. This is a textbook example of experiential marketing done right, says marketing strategist Sarah Graham. KraneShares didn’t just tell us about the ETF. They showed us why it matters.
Are We Ready for Robots Among Us?
This isn’t the first time robots have entered public spaces. Japan has long embraced robots in hotels, airports, and hospitals. But seeing a humanoid robot stroll NYC America’s heartbeat city signals a cultural shift. What once seemed gimmicky now feels inevitable.
With companies like Tesla, Boston Dynamics, and now KraneShares leading the humanoid movement, these machines won’t stay promotional for long. They’ll be helping us shop, guiding the elderly, delivering packages, or even policing the streets. But it all starts with a moment like this one where curiosity turns into cultural memory.
When Tech Meets Humanity
The day a humanoid robot strolls NYC might be remembered not just for its shock factor, but for what it triggered, discussions around ethics, investment, innovation, and the very definition of what it means to be human in the AI age.
In a single afternoon, KOID did more than promote an ETF. It gave people a front row seat to the world we’re building. And based on their reactions? That world is coming faster than we think.