Chinese dancer Yufei Wu, 26, began the June 2 performance alone before eight Unitree G1 humanoid robots marched onto the stage and joined him in a choreographed routine.

Performing to Lady Gaga's "Abracadabra," the robots danced in sync with Wu and performed lifelike movements, even pulling off acrobatic somersaults that drew loud cheers from the audience, with one fan telling her friend: "That was crazy."

"They don't look human, but they're all staring at me right now," judge Simon Cowell said after the performance. "That was... nuts, brilliant. Brilliant."

Judge Sofía Vergara said she had never seen anything like it, adding that while robots are usually "very weird," these ones had rhythm.

Videos of the act quickly spread across social media. A recap clip uploaded to the show's official YouTube channel has attracted nearly two million views since Wednesday.

Launched in 2006, "America's Got Talent" is one of the most popular television talent competitions in the U.S., broadcast by NBC television network and featuring contestants competing for a $1 million grand prize.

Performing under the Unitree banner, Wu and the robots received four yes votes from the judging panel, advancing to the next round.

Although the act did not receive a Golden Buzzer, which sends contestants directly to the live shows, NBC said the performance could become part of future discussions about "the best AGT act never to win a Golden Buzzer."