Latest news with #UnitreeG1
Fox News
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Robots step into the ring for a first-ever boxing match
Robot combat just got a lot more interesting in Hangzhou, China. Four Unitree G1 robots, each steered by a human operator, went head-to-head in a tournament called Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening! The event took place right next to Unitree's massive new factory and drew a lively mix of tech fans and people just curious to see what all the buzz was about. This wasn't only about showing off robotic strength; it gave everyone a front-row seat to how impressively robots can now move and react almost like humans. Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you'll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join. The competition was structured like a classic martial arts tournament. Each match consisted of three rounds, each lasting two minutes. Points were awarded for strikes: one for a hand hit, three for a leg strike. Knockdowns or failure to recover within eight seconds meant penalties, adding to the tension. The format kept things fast-paced and easy to follow. The opening match set the tone. "AI Strategist," controlled by Lu Xin, faced "Silk Artisan," piloted by Jiao Tianqi. AI Strategist wasted no time, landing precise blows and ultimately knocking out Silk Artisan in the third round. Next up, "Armored Mulan" faced off against "Energy Guardian." Energy Guardian scored a dramatic knockdown in the first round, and despite a late stumble from Armored Mulan, Energy Guardian secured the win. The final bout saw AI Strategist return to the ring against Energy Guardian. In a display of skill and adaptability, AI Strategist delivered three consecutive knockouts, clinching the championship. According to Zhou Di, a robotics expert with the China Computer Federation, "The robots' ability to predict opponents' moves and adjust in real time is a leap forward." Standing 4.3 feet tall and weighing 77 pounds, the Unitree G1 is built for agility. With 23 degrees of freedom and powerful knee joints, these robots can throw hooks and side kicks and recover quickly after a fall. They may look a bit clunky in action, but their movements are surprisingly fluid and engaging. The G1 is designed with accessibility in mind. It's more affordable than Unitree's flagship H1 model, which stands nearly 6 feet tall and costs upwards of $90,000. The G1 can be folded up and carried by one person, and it can reach speeds of about 4.5 miles per hour. Its impressive moves, such as kip-ups and side flips, are made possible by the LAFAN1 motion capture dataset, which translates human movements into robotic actions. This tournament wasn't just for show. It served as a real-world test for the G1's sensors, motors, and algorithms. Every punch, dodge and recovery pushed the robots to their limits. Observers noted some minor issues, like slight delays in reaction time or wobbles after taking a hit, but overall, the robots handled the pressure well. One of the most interesting aspects of the G1 is its ability to learn new skills over time. Operators can control the robots using motion-sensing devices, traditional controllers or even voice commands. Unitree is making it easy for anyone to experience these battles, whether through live streams or in-person events. The "Unitree Iron Fist King: Awakening!" tournament really showed us what the future of robot combat could look like. The G1 robots wowed everyone with their quick moves, flexibility and the kind of action that keeps a crowd cheering. As the tech keeps getting better, these events are only going to get more fun and easier for everyone to check out, bringing the excitement of robot sports to fans everywhere. Would you buy a ticket to watch a live robot battle, or do you prefer traditional sports? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Forbes
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Watch The World's First Humanoid Robot Kickboxing Match
Unitree G1 robots in a kickboxing competition in China. 52% of U.S. workers are worried about robots replacing them on the jobsite, according to a recent Pew Research finding. Now we might have to add UFC fighters to those numbers, since China's Unitree Robotics staged the world's first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing match. The robots, honestly, aren't yet amazing at punching and kicking each other, and sometimes fall off-balance while attacking or defending themselves. But, like the humanoid robotic half-marathon held in Beijing in mid-April, it's a start. And with the pace of innovation in humanoid robot development, it's going to get much better. The kickboxing match featured four Unitree G1 robots, which are relatively small for humanoid robots at just over four feet tall and under 80 pounds in weight. Their punches generally lacked power because the G1 robots are fairly slow, meaning they essentially pushed each other with their boxing glove covered hands rather than actually snapping a punch with pace into their opponent's heads. Kicks were similar, and some kneeing attacks just hit thin air as their robotic opponent spun out of the way. However, the G1s featured excellent return-to-standing ability after slipping or being knocked down, even when getting tangled up in the boxing ring ropes. For now, the humanoid robot kickboxing competition is something interesting, but not for its combat entertainment value. There isn't a huge amount of that, but the fact that the robots are fighting at all is astonishing. And it's somewhat promising. I love combat sports, but it's a guilty pleasure. I've mostly stopped watching mixed martial arts competitions, because it's just so destructive to human health and wellbeing: two fighters who have trained themselves to the peak of human strength, flexibility, and capability proceed to utterly destroy each other, with potentially long-term health and wellbeing impacts, particularly to their brains. Humanoid robot combat sports might offer the interest factor without the inevitable human carnage that results. The fight was broadcast on Chinese state television, Asia Times says. Fight training was handled by AI: 'It is not easy to teach robots different movements,' Wang Qixin, a director at Unitree, told Chinese Central Television. 'We used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to train them.' Innovation in humanoid robots is ramping up significantly, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas told me in a recent interview, and AI is a major driver of that. 'I think we're on this exponential curve,' he says. 'I think the simple way of explaining it is we're moving from pre-programming robots and modeling the world to where the robots can now learn [themselves].' Apparently, that's not just how to move boxes, tighten screws, or mop floors. It's also how to throw a punch and deliver a kick.
Gulf Insider
28-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Humanoid AI Robots In China Fight Club
Four artificial intelligence-enhanced robots have been put through their paces in a Chinese robot fighting competition, duking it out in kickboxing matches until one was declared the champion. The World Robot Competition Mecha Fighting Series had four human-controlled robots built by China-based firm Unitree compete in three, two-minute rounds with winners crowned through a points system, according to a May 26 report from the China state-owned outlet the Global Times. Chen Xiyun, a Unitree team member, said the 'robots fight in a human-machine collaborative way,' with the machines pre-taught moves, but ultimately, a person controls the bot's movements. The robots reportedly weighed 35 kilograms and stood 132 centimeters tall. Ahead of the boxing rounds, the pint-sized robots were put through tests to demonstrate a variety of kicks and punches and assist the organizers in refining the rules. The team with the highest points across the three rounds moves on to fight another opponent. A punch to the head was worth one point, and a kick to the head was worth three. Teams lost five points if their robot fell and 10 points if their robot was down for over eight seconds. During a livestream of the event on the state broadcaster CCTV, Unitree director Wang Qixin said the robotics company used 'AI technology to let robots learn.' 🤖 China hosted the world's first #humanoid robot fighting competition, the CMG World #Robot Competition. Four teams and their #UnitreeG1 robots duked it out in a globally live-streamed event! 🥊 — Chinese Embassy in US (@ChineseEmbinUS) May 26, 2025 'First of all, the motion capture will be based on some professional fighting athletes. Based on their motion capture data, the robot will learn these movements in the virtual world,' he said. In one of the first matches, a robot in pink headgear fought a robot in black headgear. After a flurry of sometimes misplaced punches and kicks, the black-donned bot was the first to be knocked down after throwing a kick and falling over. However, the black-clad android came back strong and scored a knockdown on pink in round three with a front kick. A second knockdown saw the black bot jump on the pink one to hold it down and claim the win. The pink-wearing bot and another wearing red were both eliminated, leaving the black-donned bot and one wearing green to go toe to toe in the finals. Ultimately, the black bot was declared the champion after outscoring its opponent. Another event with full-sized robots is reportedly locked in for December in South China's Guangdong Province. Also read: Watch: Humanoid Robot Goes Full Skynet After 'Imperfect Coding'
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First Post
28-05-2025
- Science
- First Post
Robots are fighting robots in Chinese kick-boxing competition: Here's what happened
The CMG World Robot Competition - Mecha Fighting Series kicked off on Sunday, 25 May in Hangzhou, China and featured humanoid robots developed by Unitree Robotics with a wide range of combat skills that were controlled by teams of four people. read more Humanoid robots take part in the CMG World Robot Competition - Mecha Fighting Series event in Hangzhou, China on Sunday, 25 May. Image credit: Screengrab/CCTV The fields of robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have come a long way in the last few decades and find themselves becoming increasingly integral across a variety of industries, from manufacturing and healthcare to defence. The two industries have also made their mark in sport; while AI is being used to scout talent at the grassroots level in countries such as Brazil, robots are being used sports such as kickboxing with China launching the world's first humanoid robot fighting competition on Sunday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The unique form of kickboxing took place in the China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Competition - Mecha Fighting Series that kicked off in Hangzhou on Sunday, 25 May. The first-of-its kind event featured robots with a wide range of combat skills developed by Unitree Robotics, the organisation that is headquartered in the eastern Chinese city located a little over a couple of hours away from Shanghai. The robots that featured in the event, however, did not make moves on their own, and were controlled by teams of four people using joysticks. The robot fighters, however, weren't quite the size of an adult human – they measured about 132 centimetres in height and weighed about 35 kilograms, according to Global Times. The event, additionally, was telecast live on China Central Television (CCTV) and also streamed live. World's first robot combat championship kicks off in #China — CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) May 27, 2025 The event comprised demonstration as well as competitive matches, with the robots competing one-on-one as well as in groups, and is part of a larger push to highlight the utility of AI and robotics across a variety of settings including in combat. One of the robots used at the event was the Unitree G1, the company's flagship humanoid robot that has been designed to operate in environments that are considered challenging for humans. Another event featuring full-sized humanoid robots has been scheduled for December and will be organised by EngineAI in Shenzhen, the city located along China's southern coast next to Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
The secret behind China's bombastic robot battles – these shows pack an unexpected punch
They dance, they run, they punch – but they never break a sweat or flinch in pain. China's humanoid robots are increasingly entering human arenas, participating in real-world sports competitions that expose them to unpredictable, complex environments – and, as analysts note, generate valuable data to advance their development. On Sunday, the world's first kickboxing contest featuring humanoid robots kicked off in the eastern city of Hangzhou. Four Unitree G1 robots – donning helmets and boxing gloves to resemble human fighters – unleashed a volley of blows with speed and precision, skilfully executing moves like roundhouse kicks and elbow strikes. The contest came a month after humanoid robots participated in a marathon in Beijing, where robots could be seen running with the form of a human athlete, swinging their arms rhythmically and maintaining a quick, short-stride cadence. 'While China maintains a strong lead in hardware and supply chains, start-ups have started dedicating efforts to develop the 'brains' of humanoid robots,' said Goldman Sachs analysts led by Jacqueline Du in a research note on Thursday, adding that real-world data was 'increasingly important to achieve consistency with physical-world and task accuracy'. Amid the intensifying tech rivalry between China and the United States, on the humanoid-robot front, companies on both sides are racing to boost investor confidence, seeking to convince the market that the technology is advancing faster than expected and that commercialisation is on the horizon.
