After decades of being tortured, shoved, kicked, burned, and bludgeoned, robots are finally getting their chance to fight back. Sort of.Â
This weekend, Chinese robotics maker Unitree says it will livestream the world’s first boxing match between two of its humanoid robots. The event, titled Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening, will feature a face-off between two of Unitree’s 4.3-foot-tall G1 robots. The robots will reportedly be remotely controlled by human engineers, though they are also expected to demonstrate some autonomous, pre-programmed actions as well. Earlier this week, the two robots previewed some of their moves at an elementary school in Hangzhou, China.
Video released by Unitree earlier this month shows the robots, boxing gloves strapped on, “training” with their human coaches. The petite robots throw a few hooks with their arms before being pushed to the ground. One quickly gets back up and, after briefly struggling to face the right direction, spins around and delivers a straight kick, 300-style. Unitree claims its robots use a motion-capture training system that helps them learn from past mistakes and improve over time.
The training video also shows the two robots briefly sparring with each other. The clacking sound of steel fills the room as they exchange a flurry of punches. At one point, both simultaneously deliver knee kicks to each other’s groin area, sending the robot in blue gear tumbling to the ground.
“The robot is actively learning even more here skills,” the company notes in a caption towards the end of the video.Â
Related: [Worryingly bendy humanoid robot can crush nuts, slice Coke bottles]
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