Video: watson/Elena Maria Müller
July 19, 2026, 04:22July 19, 2026, 04:30
The world’s first humanoid robot fighting league was launched on Thursday, July 16, 2026 in the southern Chinese tech metropolis of Shenzhen. This attracted over 200 teams from countries such as China, the United States and Singapore.
The event, officially named Ultimate Robot Knockout Legend (URKL), pits humanoid robots against each other in an eight-ring environment. 32 teams qualified for the final, competing for the championship belt and prize money worth a total of 10 million yuan (approximately 1.19 million Swiss francs).
All teams compete with the standardized, life-sized humanoid robot EngineAI T800. A jury evaluates key performance areas, including movement control, balance algorithms, perception and decision-making, drive systems and structural protection.
According to Zhao Tongyang, founder and CEO of Shenzhen-based EngineAI, the robots and the intelligence behind them are designed not only to withstand physical shock, but also to remain functional under pressure. Through this competition, data can be collected and the robots can be optimized to make them suitable for everyday use. (emm, reuters)
Video: watson/Elena Maria Müller
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