China Stages First-Ever Humanoid Robot Kickboxing Match

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“First, we captured the data of the movements of some professional kick-boxing athletes, and then the robots can learn these movements in the virtual world,” he said.

Li Gaofeng, a researcher at Zhejiang University's College of Control Science and Engineering, told the National Business Daily that the match demonstrated a leap in China's humanoid robotic technologies in the past six to 12 months.

“Six months ago, people could not imagine that humanoid robots would be able to perform all these movements smoothly,” Li said.

“Combat fight is a difficult task for humanoid robots due to the intensive confrontation during the fight. Robots need to mind their movements and react to their opponent's moves,” he said.“All these requirements significantly challenge the robots' algorithms, electronic parts and speed reducers.”

A speed reducer is a gear between the motor and the machinery that reduces the rate at which power is transmitted. Better speed reducers can achieve faster and more precise movements.

Industry experts told the Global Times that the kickboxing fight created a“train-through-competition” talent pipeline for China's fast-growing robotics sector and will drive innovation in perception, control and execution technology.

Tian Feng, former dean of Chinese AI software firm SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute, said combat sports demand full-body coordination, upper limb capabilities, battery endurance and material durability.

EngineAI, a Shenzhen-based robotics company, will host a large-scale combat match for full-sized humanoid robots in December in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The event aims to showcase cutting-edge AI and robotics technologies while promoting industrial upgrades and adoption.

From dancing to fighting

Only four months ago, Unitree's H1 humanoid robots surprised the audience by dancing with people at the 2025 CCTV Spring Festival Gala on January 28. Then, on March 19, Unitree's G1 robots performed side-flips and kick-ups in a video, showing a significant improvement from its H1's backflip performed a year ago.

Some Chinese commentators said Unitree had surpassed America's Boston Dynamics, as the latter's Atlas could only perform cartwheels . However, others said Boston Dynamics' robots are more advanced because of their precise and steady movements.