This man entered a cage against a robot and took a kick to the chest. On September 18 in San Francisco the blogger Frankie Lapenna took part in an unusual show by the company REK. His opponent was the T800 humanoid robot from the Chinese company EngineAI.
What was shown
- for the performance the machine was given the appearance of the Terminator;
- the person needed a helmet, gloves and body protection;
- in the published footage Frankie throws punches, the robot responds with kicks, and after one of the hits the blogger is thrown back.
The main caveat: who controlled the robot
The machine was remotely controlled by a person: the operator decided when and where to strike. This is not an autonomous fight of artificial intelligence but a teleoperated bout. The pilot footage in the video serves as an illustration of remote control and does not confirm who exactly controlled the robot in a specific fight.
What REK is
REK is developing a whole system of such competitions: players train in a simulator and can qualify to control real robots at live tournaments. In other words, computer fighting is gradually moving to a real arena, with metal fighters and people at the controls.
Why this matters
Entertainment robot fights are a way to quickly show the public what teleoperated humanoid machines are capable of. For the industry it is also a testing ground: the operator, the communication delay and the durability of the body are checked in conditions where an error is visible immediately. But these shows have nothing to do with autonomous fighting robots.
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Frequently asked questions
Did the robot fight by itself?
No, the machine was remotely controlled by an operator: a person decided when and where to strike.
Which robot is it?
The T800 humanoid from the Chinese company EngineAI, given the look of the Terminator for the show.
What is REK?
A company that holds fights of teleoperated robots and develops a system of competitions: from a simulator to live tournaments.
