China hosts first-ever boxing match between humanoid robots

Hangzhou, China hosted the first-ever TV tournament in which humanoid robots, controlled by operators, took to the ring instead of humans. Unitree Robotics, one of the world's leading companies in the development of humanoid machines, organized the event.

According to Novyny.LIVE, the competition, called the Mecha Combat Arena, was broadcast on Chinese TV (CCTV-10) and brought together four teams of operators, each controlling a Unitree G1 robot in boxing and kickboxing matches.

Thanks to a sophisticated balancing algorithm, the Unitree G1 could deliver punches and kicks and recover steadily from falls.

Confrontation Technologies

Operators controlled the robots remotely with low latency using game pads, motion sensors, and voice commands to make the machines as responsive as possible.

Battles were held in three two-minute rounds. Punches were worth one point, kicks were worth three points, and falls resulted in penalties.

How the Unitree robot won

The AI Strategist team celebrated their triumph. Their Unitree G1 won the final round by scoring three knockouts in a row. In one of the fights, the AI Strategist showed character by getting up after a fall and winning the fight.

Other fights involved the Energy Guardian robot, which also demonstrated considerable resilience and technical skill.

How will this affect sports?

Experts believe that such tournaments are real tests for humanoid robots, not just a show. They test balance, control systems, reaction speed, motion analytics, and interaction with the enemy in a dynamic battlefield.

Unitree is now planning the next battle for humanoid robots. It will take place in December in Shenzhen, and they expect human-sized models to participate. This will be the next step for Living Steel in reality.

As a reminder, the Chinese company Unitree shared the new video with the trick their humanoid robot G1 learnt. It is the first to perform the acrobatic "kip-up" trick.

We also wrote that the humanoid robot G1 has learnt to perform other acrobatic tricks. Unitree shared the video of the robot performing an almost ideal side flip.