China held the first boxing tournament featuring humanoid robots in the eastern city of Hangzhou over the weekend, according to its organiser, China Media Group (CMG), in an event that combined real fights with real-time human control and global broadcast.
During the event, called the CMG World Robot Championship – Mech-Fighting Arena Series, four G1 robots, developed by Unitree Robotics, competed in a ring using motion control algorithms and bionic structures designed to respond in milliseconds to their operators’ commands.
The fights were evaluated according to technical criteria such as the accuracy of the blows, the stability in movement and the ability to recover after falls, which had to occur in less than eight seconds counted by a real referee inside the ring.
In the final, the AI Strategist model won with a quick sequence of punches that destabilized its opponent Energy Guardian, after receiving a knee to the head in the first seconds of the round, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday. Despite the impact, both robots managed to get back on their feet by themselves, demonstrating the effectiveness of their dynamic balancing algorithms.
According to sources from the organization, the combat was carried out in a collaborative human-machine format, in which technical teams executed attack combinations using manual controllers. This mode was preferred over options such as voice control or motion sensors, due to the need for immediate response in highly demanding situations.
The robots used in the competition, Unitree’s G1 model, measure 1.3 meters, weigh 35 kilograms and have joints capable of exerting a torque of up to 120 newton-meters, a measure of how much force a robotic body part – such as a knee – can apply when rotating.
This ability is key to performing demanding movements, such as getting up after a fall, maintaining balance or executing kicks accurately.
In addition to the competition, experts from the Institute of Affective and Cognitive Intelligence at Peking University and the AI Safety Standards Laboratory in the Chinese capital provided live technical analysis to explain to the public the inner workings of the control systems and the strategies employed.
Unitree Robotics, the technical organizer together with CMG, said that this type of test serves to identify mechanical failures and improve the design of future models for industrial, care or domestic applications.
This championship is part of a series of recent events showing China’s progress in embodied artificial intelligence humanoid robotics.
In April, Beijing hosted the first urban half marathon with robots, and Wuxi hosted the first National Robot Games, reflecting an institutional commitment to make this technology part of everyday life.
According to the China Electronics Institute, the humanoid robot market in China could reach 870 billion yuan ($121.052 billion, €106.419 billion) by 2030, amid the rapid development of technologies related to embodied artificial intelligence and its application in industrial and domestic sectors.
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