The details:
The event was part of China’s World Robot Competition Series and broadcast live on CCTV-10, with streams on social media platforms.
The robots, clad in gloves and headgear, executed an array of boxing and kickboxing moves—straight punches, hooks, and even aerial sidekicks.
However, these G1 robots, weighing 35kg (77 lb.), were not autonomous and were being remotely controlled by human operators using joysticks.
Scoring was based on clean hits: one point for a punch, three for a kick, and penalties for falling or failing to recover within eight seconds.
Why it matters: The matches unfolded over three two-minute rounds, with the robots’ attacks more akin to forceful pushes than knockout blows. But this is the first of many such events to come, with Shenzhen hosting the EngineAI Robot Free Combat Tournament in December, promising more complex movement and harder punches.
