How does robot fighting sound to you? It seems unreal, but now it’s a real thing. A new chapter in robot sports has started with the introduction of robot fighting. In Shenzhen, the world’s first-ever humanoid robot fighting championship has already begun. The event started on July 11 with the opening of the Ultimate Robot Knockout Legend (URKL) theme park at Futian COCO Park.

A huge T800 mech suit was lowered into a shopping mall atrium. This 6-meter mech suit welcomed the visitors. This display indicated the beginning of the main competition.

The activities will last for several days until the main competition, which will be held on 16 July. From 11 to 16 July, the atrium will act as a fighting arena. Visitors will enjoy the robotic fights there. This will give visitors an opportunity to see a demonstration of what is going to happen on 16 July.

What’s even more interesting about the event? There is so much more. People visiting there can turn themselves into AI-created avatars. That means they can create a mech-style version of themselves. Not only this, but they can also enjoy robot parades and street dance performances there too. What is the purpose of this? These activities are introduced so that people learn about advanced technology in a fun way.

The main event will take place at Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center in Shenzhen. More than 60 teams applied for the competition. Only 32 teams were finalized to compete in the main event.

The finalists are those who belong to famous universities from all around the world, including Stanford University, the University of California, and several others.

The prize pool is set at 10 million yuan, which is about $1.48 million.

The unique thing about the event is that all the teams will be using the same ENGINEAI T800 robot. This will help the judges see who makes use of the best software and engineering. That means the hardware will not decide the results of the competition.

What will the judges see? They will evaluate the teams based on several important things. Like how good the motion control of a robot is, how good the balance is, how smart the AI decision-making is, and how strong the power system of the robot is. Not only this, but they will also see how good the robot’s structural protection is.

The participants can also improve their robots. They can improve the design by adding custom armor. Likewise, they are also allowed to make engineering changes to make their robots perform better in the ring.

What’s more? Another special thing about the event is the appearance of martial arts actor Donnie Yen. Organizers say that it will add more excitement to the event. So, this all means a lot.

Yao Qiyuan is a co-founder of ENGINEAI. He said that the event is based on three main ideas. These are “stage, ring, and platform”. What he meant was that the stage will display the new technology. The ring will create a competition. And the platform will support long-term growth via open-source collaboration.

Organizers are very optimistic about the event. They said that after the event, robot fighting will become as popular as other esports and mixed martial arts. They also believe that Shenzhen is the best place for it. This is because of its technological background, which has also made this place earn the title of “China’s Silicon Valley of Hardware.”