Chinese robotics makers look to explore future applications of humanoid robots via fighting competition

Chinese robotics makers are looking to explore more future applications of humanoid robots through the world's first robot fighting competition that is set to take place on Sunday night in Hangzhou City.

The event, titled China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Contest: Mech Combat Arena Competition, will be livestreamed globally in the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou.

The robots participating in the competition will not only need to master different combat techniques, but also ensure they remain stable during intense movement and confrontation.

A major goal of the competition is to test the movement stability of humanoids, which is one of the key requirements for bringing humanoid robots into everyday life, said Sun Baoyan, marketing manager of Unitree Robotics, China's top robotics company and a partner of the robot event.

"Through this competition, the robots' stability will be greatly enhanced. We hope humanoid robots will gradually achieve productive capabilities within the next three to five years," said Sun.

This competition is more than just a high-stakes competition sports. It serves as a unique test of humanoid robot technology, a showcase of cutting-edge science, and a peephole for observing latest breakthroughs in the robotics industry.

"This (competition) is essentially an exploration of the technical boundaries of robots. It aims to explore the robots' capabilities in such intense and competitive movements, and through this event, to raise public awareness of robot technology," said Liu Tai, deputy chief engineer of the Telecommunication Technology Laboratory at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

Although equipped with AI systems, the humanoid fighters still require human "pilots" to direct their movements. The event has invited teams with different areas of expertise, providing fresh insights for robot researchers with their unique styles of competition.

"We have participants from different sectors. One is from an electric company and is experienced in using drones. He is also at the forefront of the field. We also invited an AI blogger, as AI is closely related to humanoid robots, and we are excited to see how he approaches the competition with his unique perspective," said Gao Yuan, another marketing manager of Unitree Robotics.

The U.S. dollar strengthened in late trading on Wednesday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, went up 0.52 percent to 100.092 at 15:00 (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro declined to 1.1516 dollars from 1.1542 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound fell to 1.3341 dollars from 1.3360 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 159.41 Japanese yen, higher than 159.00 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 0.7902 Swiss francs from 0.7847 Swiss francs, and it advanced to 1.3701 Canadian dollars from 1.3697 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar climbed to 9.3346 Swedish kronor from 9.2737 Swedish kronor.