The world's first humanoid robot boxing competition has packed a punch that is sure to hit hard in the fast-growing sector's development, providing a testing ground for technicians to further optimize robot algorithms, improve performance and explore the potential to perform multiple useful functions in the future.
The competition, part of the China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Competition Series, took place in Hangzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday evening, and featured advanced G1 robots developed by the Hangzhou-based robotics firm Unitree.
Given their already impressive movement range, the high-tech G1 robots have now developed the skills needed to execute basic combat moves and various combination actions, including jabs, hooks, and kicks.
Operators controlled the robots using voice commands and remote controls from ringside, allowing for real-time human-robot collaboration in the heat of the battle.
Unlike the world's first humanoid robot half marathon which was held in Beijing this April, which focused more on endurance and speed, the boxing competition placed higher demands on the robots' agility and balance when responding to the unfolding challenges in the ring.
Prior to the event, the G1 robots underwent extreme tests, including shock resistance and overheating prevention, ensuring they could perform complex movements under tough conditions.
"During the fight, the robot has to execute aggressive moves while also facing strong attacks from the opponent robot. The key challenge is maintaining balance throughout the process, ensuring that it doesn't get knocked down while attacking," said Sun Baoyan, an equipment tester for the competition.
While the unique event highlighted the strong prowess and physical adaptability of the humanoid robots, experts have also emphasized the importance of unlocking their true potential to benefit more real-world applications.
"Some of the robot's abilities have already exceeded our expectations, but there are still bottlenecks when it comes to unlocking its full potential and generating real value. There's still a gap between what the robots can do and what people need. The next breakthrough may come in the areas of robotic dexterity, tactile feedback, and manipulation skills," said Li Gaofeng, a researcher at Zhejiang University's College of Control Science and Engineering.
The continuing CMG World Robot Competition Series will also feature more activities from robot football and basketball games, aiming to showcase the cutting-edge advancements in AI and robotics through competitive, and visually entertaining sports events. The series aims to promote industrial upgrades and accelerate the adoption of robotic technologies.
World's first robot boxing contest packs punch to optimize future algorithms
World's first robot boxing contest packs punch to optimize future algorithms
A video featuring a former member of Unit 731, a notorious Japanese germ-warfare unit during World War II (WWII), was released on Thursday in northeast China's Harbin, revealing details of how the unit used meteorological data to conduct horrific bacterial experiments on human beings.
The video was released by the Exhibition Hall of Evidence of Crimes Committed by Unit 731 of the Japanese Imperial Army, in which former Unit 731 member Tsuruo Nishijima detailed how the unit used meteorological data to carry out a bacterial dispersal experiment.
The video was recorded in 1997 by Japanese scholar Fuyuko Nishisato and donated to the exhibition hall in 2019, according to the hall, which was built on the former site of the headquarters of Unit 731 in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province.
Jin Shicheng, director of the Department of Publicity, Education and Exhibition of the exhibition hall, said that Nishijima joined Unit 731 in October 1938 and served in the unit's meteorological squad. The squad was not a simple observation section but rather an auxiliary force supporting the unit's field human experiments by measuring wind direction, wind speed, and other conditions to ensure optimal experimental results, according to Jin.
Nishijima confirmed in the footage that "the meteorological squad had to be present at every field experiment." He testified to the "rainfall experiments" conducted by Unit 731, which involved aircraft releasing bacterial agents at extremely low altitudes.
At a field-testing site in Anda City, Heilongjiang, Unit 731 aircraft descended to about 50 meters above the ground. They sprayed bacterial culture liquids onto "maruta" -- human test subjects -- who were tied to wooden stakes. Each experiment involved about 30 people, spaced roughly 5 meters apart. After the experiments, the victims were loaded into sealed trucks and transported back to the unit, where their symptoms and disease progression were recorded over a period of several days.
"Unit 731's bacterial weapons were dropped by aircraft from a height of 50 meters in the open air. Therefore, the meteorological squad needed to observe wind direction and speed, which directly affected the precision and accuracy of the bacterial weapons deployment," said Jin.
Nishijima recounted the harrowing experience of the human test subjects.
"They were fully aware that inhaling the substances would certainly lead to death, so they closed their eyes and held their breath to avoid breathing them in. Their resistance prevented the experiment from proceeding. To compel them to comply, they were forced at gunpoint to open their mouths and lift their heads," said Nishijima.
These experiments, disguised as "scientific research," were in fact systematic tests of biological warfare weapons conducted by the Japanese military. The data generated from these inhumane activities became "research findings" shared among the Japanese army medical school, the medical community, and the military at large.
"At that time, the entire Japanese medical community tacitly approved, encouraged, and even participated in the criminal acts of Unit 731. The unit comprised members from Japan's medical and academic sectors who served the Japanese war of aggression against China. Thus, Unit 731 was not just a military unit but represented an organized and systematic criminal enterprise operating from the top down," said Jin.
Unit 731 was a top-secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin as the nerve center for Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during WWII.
At least 3,000 people were used for human experiments by Unit 731, and Japan's biological weapons killed more than 300,000 people in China.
Video offers details of Japan's germ-warfare crimes in northeast China
