The wait is finally over. After hearing the news of the first humanoid robot MMA event for several months, the event has finally started. During the opening event, a scene got so much attention. One robot’s head flew into the air in front of the audience, including action star Donnie Yen.

The tournament was held in Shenzhen on July 16 and marked the launch of Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL). The organizers said that this will be the world’s first league dedicated to robot combat.

The fight quickly became trending when one robot landed a tornado kick on another robot. The force was so strong that it caused the detachment of the robot’s head from its body. The interesting thing was that even after losing its head, the robot kept moving for a short time.

The scene grabs the attention of the audience. The video quickly spread across various social media platforms, along with Yen’s surprised reaction.

So, what was unique about the event other than robotic fights? Well, unlike traditional competitions, the participants were given only one type of robot, and that was the T800. This robot was developed by the Chinese company EngineAI. Participants were allowed to change the appearance of the robots. Since the hardware was the same, teams needed to focus on AI, software, balance, and movement.

T800 is almost 1.73 meters tall and has a weight of 75 kg. The robot has movable joints. These joints allow punching, kicking, and dodging. Likewise, they also help the robot maintain its balance. Not only this, but there are also advanced sensors in the robot that allow it to monitor its surroundings. It then responds quickly and accordingly.

More than 60 teams participated, but only 32 were finalized to compete in the main event. Participants were from well-reputed universities in China and other parts of the world.

Judges will evaluate the matches based on multiple things. They will not just check the offensive attacks, but also plenty of other things like balance, movement, durability, and recovery. The winning team will get a 10-kg gold championship belt. The value of this prize is around 10 million yuan.

It is not a secret now that China is moving rapidly in the robotics industry. Industry estimates suggest that it could reach 870 billion yuan by 2030. To add more to it, events like URKL are expected to support more growth. This will allow the public to participate more in such events.

The Shenzhen event was just the opening round of the URKL season. The tournament will continue until the end of this year.

The event is important in many ways. It will not only entertain the audience but will also offer a platform for future testing of robots. The matches happening right now will allow the engineers to collect real-time data. Engineers can evaluate this data to make better decisions in the future. This will improve the functioning of robots for use in businesses and homes.