Zhongqing T800 kicks boxer Frankie LaPenna in San Francisco human-robot fight

In a human-versus-robot fight in San Francisco, a Zhongqing T800 humanoid robot knocked down boxer Frankie LaPenna with a kick. The robot was controlled remotely by an operator wearing a VR headset and motion controllers, while the T800 handled its own balance and posture correction through its underlying motion control system.

The T800 used in the fight had been modified for appearance, standing 1.83 meters tall — ten centimeters taller than the standard version — and styled to resemble the Terminator. The robot weighs 75 kilograms, has a peak joint torque of 450 newton-meters, and is powered by a solid-state battery with four to five hours of range per charge. In URKL competition, T800s have demonstrated high-dynamic moves including running, spinning kicks, and self-righting from a prone position.

Zhongqing said the fight's primary purpose was to collect motion and collision data in high-intensity impacts, allowing the team to iterate on the robot's balance, force control, and sensing algorithms. The company's CEO Zhao Tongyang stated that a kick from the T800 without protective gear would be severe enough to cause bone fractures in a human, highlighting the force disparity between a metal body and flesh.