What sounds like a scene from a wild science-fiction movie has now happened in real life: a human has gone head-to-head with a robot in a boxing ring.
Influencer Frankie Lapenna entered the ring last Friday against a six-foot humanoid robot whose metallic appearance drew comparisons to the Terminator.
The showdown was held in San Francisco by robot combat company REK, which operated the humanoid machine remotely.
Lapenna put up a determined fight, although the contest quickly became a daunting test for the human challenger.
Wearing a helmet and protective padding as he climbed into the cage, Lapenna was greeted by a visibly anxious coach, who told him: ‘I’m scared for you, man.’
He made an encouraging start, connecting with several powerful punches that snapped the robot’s head backward and caused the lumbering machine to stagger.
That early advantage did not last. The robot responded with a fierce series of kicks, sending Lapenna hurtling across the cage.
Although the footage appeared to show the robot overwhelming its opponent, REK said Lapenna was declared the winner. Later that same evening, he returned to face an even larger machine.
Influencer Frankie Lapenna entered the ring last Friday to challenge a six-foot humanoid robot whose appearance bore an unsettling resemblance to the Terminator
Cix Liv, REK’s chief executive, told Our News Outlet that human-versus-robot bouts were not part of the company’s original plans.
The San Francisco company primarily stages battles between remotely operated robots, creating a real-world spectacle reminiscent of the film Real Steel.
That changed about two months ago, when Lapenna contacted REK and said he wanted to fight one of its machines. Liv said the idea was too unusual to ignore.
‘When he reached out to us, he said he didn’t want to wear any protective clothing,’ Mr Liv told Our News Outlet.
‘But we told him that he had to, and when he saw what the robot could do, he actually said that he needed more.’
For the bouts, Lapenna was fitted with motorcycle protective equipment to reduce the impact of the strikes, along with spiked boxing gloves designed to protect his hands.
Videos of the robot knocking a human fighter to the ground alarmed viewers online, with many questioning the wisdom of staging such a contest.
One Instagram user commented: ‘Didn’t we have, like, six movies explaining why this is a bad idea?
REK said Frankie wore motorcycle protective gear and spiked boxing gloves to give him a better chance of withstanding the robot’s attacks
‘This could’ve been a Black Mirror episode,’ another person wrote, while a third offered a blunt warning: ‘Stop. Teaching. Them. To. Fight.’
Over the course of the evening, Lapenna faced three robots. He began with a much smaller Unitree G1 before progressing to the two towering six-foot humanoid machines featured in the viral footage.
Those large robots are adapted versions of Chinese robotics startup EngineAI’s T800 model, which weighs up to 187lb and costs $40,500 (£30,000).
Although they are not specifically built for fighting, their powerful limbs make an extremely powerful base for a robotic warrior.
Mr Liv says: ‘We have 500 try-hard men emailing us saying they’re going to fight the robot, but they don’t realise that it’s like trying to punch a metal wall.’
While the average adult can kick with about 650lb of force, REK says its large robots deliver 850lb of force with their blows.
The ‘Terminator’ robot was just one of three bots that the influencer took on that night, with each round seeing the human fighter sent flying by kicks
Lapenna apparently managed to unbalance the hulking machine and send it tumbling into the wall, where it seized up and ‘ripped its head off’.
Mr Liv says he doesn’t want to give away the results of the last fight against the largest robot, which will be released in a video tomorrow, but cautions that things didn’t go as well for the human fighter.
Despite that, the only real damage sustained b Lapenna is a hand injury from ‘punching metal’, and the influencer was otherwise unhurt.
Mr Liv says the company had never considered hosting human fights long term and added that this was always intended to be ‘a stunt’.
But with so many people already begging to get in the ring, he says: ‘We’ll have to do it again.’
