China hosts world's first mechanical mixed martial arts tournament

Let's get ready to rumble: In a clash where silicon meets sinew, China just hosted the world's first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing tournament – and no, it wasn't a sci-fi movie set. The China Media Group World Robot Competition – Mecha Fighting Series kicked off on May 25 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, with humanoid bots from Unitree Robotics stepping into the ring for some MMMA. It was an event reminiscent of the old Robot Wars show in the late 90s but slightly less violent. Four Unitree G1 robots, each roughly the size and weight of a small adult (35 kilograms and 132 centimeters tall), battled it out under the watchful eyes of their human controllers and a referee. Asia Times notes that the matches aired on state-run Chinese Central Television, bringing mechanical martial arts to the masses. Each fight unfolded in two parts: a skill showcase followed by three two-minute rounds of combat. The bots could score points by landing punches (one point) and kicks (three points) to the h ... Read full article.