Forget about real-life Real Steel in tiny proportion, because the world is about to witness the first-ever Robot Free Fighting Competition. Set to happen this December in Shenzhen, the world’s first full-scale combat tournament will feature life-sized humanoid robots putting their physical strength and intelligence to the test.
This futuristic sport will also debut the first-ever ruleset for humanoid robot fights, which includes the requirement that robots must simulate human movement and make real-time decisions during combat. The brainchild behind this bold new form of entertainment is EngineAI, China’s premier robot maker.
Robots will be supplied to participating teams along with open-source code, allowing each team to customize and train their own real-life Atom. The tournament aims to push the boundaries of AI by testing robots on perception, decision-making, and physical execution.
Before the big event, EngineAI partnered with another Chinese robotics firm, Unitree Robotics, to host a fighting showcase on May 25. So technically, that was the world’s first robot fight event—but it wasn’t a full-on tournament. It featured demonstrations and competitive matches where the robots showed off their moves and sparred in real time under human control.
Welcome to the future, my friends.
Images: EngineAI.
Story via Global Times.
