When UFC and Robot Wars collide – human versus robot cage fighting is no longer confined to sci-fi
Frankie LaPenna has already stepped into the cage against a six-foot humanoid robot
Quick Summary
Influencer Frankie LaPenna fought a six-foot humanoid robot at a REK event in San Francisco on 18 September, in a bout the company describes as its first human-versus-robot fight.
The robot was remotely controlled as part of REK's work on a virtual reality combat game, rather than fighting autonomously.
Frankie LaPenna has already done something that sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi film, he stepped into a fighting cage against a six-foot humanoid robot.
The bout took place at a REK event in San Francisco on 18 September, with LaPenna wearing protective equipment as he faced an EngineAI T800 robot. Footage shows him landing several punches before the robot responds with kicks, including one that sends him across the cage.
REK described the event as the first human-versus-robot fight, although that claim hasn't been independently verified. The company has previously staged fights between remotely controlled humanoid robots, but this event put a human in the cage with one for the first time.
To be clear, the robot wasn't making its own decisions.
REK's machines are remotely controlled by human operators, and the LaPenna fight was part of the company's work on a virtual reality combat game. The idea is to connect the virtual game with physical humanoid robots, allowing people to control machines that fight in the real world.
That puts this closer to a demonstration of remote-controlled robotics than a genuine UFC-style fight between a human and an autonomous machine.
Still, the footage is a pretty good demonstration of what a remotely controlled humanoid can already do. REK has also suggested that more footage and potentially more human-versus-robot fights could follow.
