Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend
Chinese humanoid robot combat league
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Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) is a Chinese humanoid robot combat league founded in 2026 by EngineAI.[1] The league uses standardized EngineAI T800 humanoid robots that is capable of a range of combat movements including uppercuts, spinning kicks, and the ability to get up quickly after falls.[2] Competition rules stresses that during a fight, no human involvement is allowed and that all robots must fight solely on their own and rely wholly on its AI programming.[3] The winner is not determined simply by a knockout but rather through a broad evaluation that assesses the robots on a number of measures including its balance, power systems, motion control, decision-making, perception, and structural protection. As teams rely on identical base robots, successful performances are largely determined by software algorithms and strategic approaches.[4][5][6][7]
| Sport | Robot combat (humanoid robots) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 9 February 2026 |
| Owner | EngineAI |
| CEO | Zhao Tongyang |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Website | en |
URKL hosted the world's first professional full-sized humanoid robot combat event in Shenzhen, China on 16 July 2026.[8][9] The inaugural event saw over 200 global teams from 10 countries registering, with the top 32 teams proceeding to the main tournament after qualification rounds. The grand final is scheduled to be held in Dubai at around late December or early 2027. There is a total prize pool of 10 million yuan (approximately US$1.4 million), with the champion to receive a 10-kilogram pure gold championship belt.[1]
Robot platform
The EngineAI T800 humanoid robot is issued to every participating team for use in the competition.[9] The URKL robot is designed to act autonomously during a match and is able to assess opponents and its surroundings rapidly during combat.[3] It can perform a variety of combat movements that includes spinning kicks, uppercuts and leg sweeps, as well as performing gestures like taunting opponents and victory dances.[10] It is 1.73 meters tall and has a peak joint torque of 450 Nm. According to strategic analysis publication Tecrow, this exceeds the 200 to 250 Nm of peak knee-joint torque generated by a highly conditioned human male athlete during a maximum effort kick.[6]
| Specification[11] | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) |
| Maximum joint torque | Up to 450 N⋅m (knee joints) |
| Maximum speed | Approximately 3 m/s (6.7 mph) |
| Battery runtime | Approximately 4–5 hours per charge; hot-swappable battery system |
| Perception systems | 360° LiDAR, stereo vision, and omnidirectional radar |
| Computing | Intel computing modules and NVIDIA AGX Orin-class AI computing options |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, and LAN |
| Chassis | Aviation-grade aluminium alloy body |
| Cooling system | Active cooling integrated in leg joints to endure high-intensity operation |
| Joints | 29 high-torque joints configured for human-like motion |
Inaugural season
The opening event of URKL was co-organized by EngineAI and Quanmingxing Robotics and held on 16 July 2026 at the Shenzhen Nanshan Cultural and Sports Center in Shenzhen, China.[12][13][14] The tournament's opening rounds are scheduled to take place in July-August, followed by later rounds in September-October, with the grand final scheduled for Dubai in late December 2026 or January 2027. The prize money pool is approximately $1.4 million, with the winning team to receive a ten kilogram pure gold championship belt.[5][1]
Reportedly, 200 teams from 10 countries registered with the top 32 making it past the online qualifiers and proceeding to the physical deployment cut. Some of the qualifying teams had included Stanford University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University. Teams, that have made it to the physical deployment stage, are issued an EngineAI T800 humanoid robot that is capable of 450 Nm of peak torque. Since all robots are essentially identical in hardware, the contest is largely a battle in software. Remote control is barred and when a match starts, every movement by a robot, such as kicks, fall-recovery, blocks, needs to be driven entirely by AI reacting in real-time. Additionally, competitors are prohibited from making any modifications that are deemed to be dangerous or malicious, and are required to submit their proposed algorithms for approval prior to a fight.[3][7]
Opening Rounds
Donnie Yen was reported to be a special guest during opening night. Media outlets reported on a viral highlight in a match between two robots named White Eagle and Matador. In the final round, White Eagle landed a high tornado kick against Matador's head, leading to Matador's head being eventually decapitated. Despite having its head hanging from its torso, Matador continued to fight and finished its match without shutting down. Organizers praised Matador's ability to continue fighting and stated it had demonstrated designed redundancy and structural durability.[15][14][6][16] Matador secured victory by winning three of the five scored rounds against White Eagle.[17]