China hosted first robot kickboxing tournament!
Beijing, May 26 (EFE).-
China hosted its first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing tournament on Sunday night in the eastern city of Hangzhou, with the robot “AI Strategist” emerging as the champion, the event’s organizer, China Media Group (CMG), said Monday.
The event, which blended real-time, human-controlled combat with global broadcasting, featured four G1 humanoid robots.
The robots, developed by Unitree Robotics, competed in a traditional boxing ring, using advanced motion-control algorithms and bionic structures capable of responding within milliseconds to their operators’ commands.
Matches, overseen by a live referee inside the ring, were judged based on technical criteria such as strike accuracy, movement stability, and the robot’s ability to stand within eight seconds after a fall.
In the final match, AI Strategist defeated its opponent, Energy Guardian, with a rapid combination of punches and a decisive knee strike that destabilized the challenger, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Despite the impact, both robots managed to recover and stand up, showcasing the effectiveness of their dynamic balance systems.
The matches followed a human-machine collaborative format, with technical teams manually controlling their robots’ attack combinations using handheld devices.
The competing models stood 4.3 feet-tall, weighed 77 pounds, and featured articulated joints capable of high-precision movements such as standing after a fall, maintaining balance, and delivering targeted kicks.
Experts from Peking University’s Institute of Affective and Cognitive Intelligence and the AI Safety Standards Laboratory provided live technical commentary, explaining the inner workings of the robots’ control systems.
“The robots could execute continuous combination punches, backhand strikes, sidekicks, and knee attacks. It was truly eye-opening,” said Sui Jiamin, a spectator at the event.
Unitree Robotics said such competitions help identify mechanical flaws and contribute to the design of more advanced robots for industrial and domestic use.
The tournament was part of the CMG World Robot Competition Series, which will also feature robot football and basketball games in the future.
China has recently launched similar events to promote its robotics industry. In April, Beijing hosted the first robot urban half-marathon, while the city of Wuxi held the inaugural National Robot Games.
According to the Chinese Institute of Electronics, China’s humanoid robot market could reach about 121 billion dollars by 2030. EFEgbm-bks/seo
