{"id":403039,"date":"2026-01-10T00:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/403039\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T00:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T00:06:08","slug":"better-than-mma-humanoid-robots-trade-punches-in-vegas-as-high-tech-fight-nights-draw-crowds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/403039\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Better than MMA\u2019: Humanoid robots trade punches in Vegas as high-tech fight nights draw crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LAS VEGAS, Jan 10 \u2014 Two robots the size of schoolchildren stepped into the ring at BattleBots Arena.<\/p>\n

The human-like combatants stumbled a bit as they swung and kicked at each other in the Ultimate Fighting Robot (UFB) match, curiosity mixing with cheers from spectators at the event on the edge of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

The contenders were a departure from the usual lineup at the event, known for wheeled machines equipped with wrecking tools.<\/p>\n

UFB backers are betting humanoid robots will win fans by transforming bouts from demolition derbies to mixed martial arts matches.<\/p>\n

A human referee addressed the robotic rivals as though they were flesh-and-blood fighters.<\/p>\n

\"Robots <\/p>\n

Robots wear boxing gloves as they exchange punches during the Ultimate Fighting Bots (UFB) competition at the BattleBots Arena. \u2014 AFP pic <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the sport of the future,\u201d said Vitaly Bulatov, who co-founded UFB with his wife, Xenia.<\/p>\n

The couple from Russia envisions fans being won over by the \u201chuman stories\u201d of the real people piloting the robot combatants.<\/p>\n

As the robots exchanged blows, commands to kick and punch came from human pilots ringside using a combination of cameras and motion-sensing Nintendo video game controllers.<\/p>\n

Cameras captured the pilots\u2019 movements in real time, which were then repeated, more or less accurately, by the robots.<\/p>\n

The contenders looked at times like blindfolded boxers, triggering laughter with wild misses and cheers when blows landed.<\/p>\n

\"Fighting <\/p>\n

Fighting robot pilot \u2018Master Ken\u2019 warms up his kicks before the Ultimate Fighting Bots (UFB) competition at the BattleBots Arena. \u2014 AFP pic <\/p>\n

Bang-up research\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith some more advancements, it could definitely become more entertaining, as you see in movies like Real Steel,\u201d said Esteban Perez, a 25-year-old IT worker from Denver watching from the audience.<\/p>\n

While today\u2019s bouts are less spectacular than those depicted in the 2011 science fiction film about robot boxing starring Hugh Jackman, UFB events have sold out in San Francisco, attracting young tech professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is definitely better than MMA,\u201d Bulatov said, referring to mixed martial arts bouts.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Ultimate Fighting Bots (UFB) logo is displayed before a fighting robot competition at the BattleBots Arena. \u2014 AFP pic <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to knock him out,\u201d he added with a nod toward the ring.<\/p>\n

Beyond the thrills, the bouts provide opportunities to collect body movement data that can be used to train robot software.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to just see what the entertainment value is…also the characteristics of the different robots,\u201d\u201c said Yael Rosenblum, project manager for the Atlas humanoid robot built by Boston Dynamics, who was attending the event with colleagues. \u2014 AFP\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS, Jan 10 \u2014 Two robots the size of schoolchildren stepped into the ring at BattleBots Arena.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,213975,213979,213976,786,213974,785,213978,85,213977],"class_list":{"0":"post-403039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-battlebots-arena","11":"tag-boston-dynamics-atlas-robot","12":"tag-consumer-electronics-show-las-vegas","13":"tag-fighting","14":"tag-humanoid-robots-vegas-fight","15":"tag-mma","16":"tag-nintendo-video-game-controllers","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-ultimate-fighting-robot-match"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}