Jab, hook, side kick... Bots have learned nine major moves, with human voice control collaboration, and the underlying technology is not simple.

On the evening of May 25, the "CMG World Robot Competition Series" mech battle arena competition was held in Hangzhou, with Yushu Technology participating as a partner.

Li Gaofeng, a researcher from the College of Control at Zhejiang University, stated that the competition was exciting, the Bots moved smoothly, and the professionalism of some movements was comparable to that of boxers. In the future, AI algorithms may be able to autonomously call upon skill combinations. In fact, there are still technical challenges behind combat competitions, such as the high requirements for real-time dynamic response speed. This competition has also raised expectations for the technological advancements of humanoid robots.

Straight punches, left and right hooks, side kicks, knee strikes... a fierce combat competition where punches land "on the flesh" is intensely unfolding between silicon-based life forms.

"Jumping right in, the movements are very agile." Accompanying the commentator's voice is the continuous sound of metal clashing.

On the evening of May 25th, the "CMG World Robot Competition Series" mech combat arena competition was held in Hangzhou, with Yushu Technology participating as a partner. According to the organizers, this is the first combat arena competition featuring humanoid Robots as the main participants.

From the robot performing the Yangko dance at the Spring Festival Gala to the mech battles in the arena, the popularity of Yushu Technology has not diminished over the past six months. Now, with armored steel fists stepping into reality, Yushu Technology is also ready to showcase its skills. Wang Qixin, director of Yushu Technology, stated that this robot fighting competition will demonstrate actions such as straight punches and hooks, which rely primarily on AI (artificial intelligence) technology to enable the robots to learn.

Image source: Yushu Technology provided

On the evening of May 25, Li Gaofeng, a researcher at the School of Control of Zhejiang University, who was watching the game, told the reporter of "Daily Economic News": "Today's (that is, May 25) game is very exciting, allowing us to see the rapid development of humanoid robots. Personally, I feel that the side kicks, knee kicks and other movements displayed by the robot this time are very smooth, and the degree of professionalism is comparable to that of a boxer. This kind of action is difficult to achieve by traditional manual programming, which shows that our robots are fully equipped with the ability to learn from humans. This allows the robot to quickly accumulate a skill base, which is currently done by a human controller, but we also see the possibility of allowing our AI algorithms to call different skill sets autonomously based on robot perception in the future. I think that's more meaningful than the skills demonstrated. ”

Mecha Combat Debut: Nine Major Moves

According to the disclosed competition rules, this tournament adopts a point system, consisting of 3 rounds, with each round lasting 2 minutes. The team with the highest total points accumulated over the 3 rounds wins. Strikes to the head and torso count as valid hits, with hand strikes counting for 1 point and leg strikes counting for 3 points. Strikes to the limbs do not count for points. Falling down results in a deduction of 5 points, and if a team is knocked down and cannot get up within 8 seconds, they lose 10 points, ending that round.

Robot fighting sounds novel, but it actually faces many technical challenges.

Unlike the previous robot marathon that tested endurance and balance systems, the combat competition has a higher requirement for real-time dynamic response speed.

In combat, Bots need to be flexible in making movements such as punching and kicking, requiring the coordination of multiple joints. Additionally, there are high demands on the speed of the Bots; for instance, they must quickly get back up when knocked down, and they need to make flexible adjustments based on the situation in the arena. This places higher requirements on the operator, perception capabilities, and the level of the algorithms.

According to Li Gaofeng, a researcher from the College of Control Science and Engineering at Zhejiang University, tasks such as running, jumping, and even doing flips may be familiar to everyone in the context of Bots, but combat presents a challenge for Bots due to the added element of opposition. Humanoid Bots not only need to consider their own state but also the state of their opponent. This high level of opposition poses more challenges to the overall stability of the Bots' system. Moreover, this challenge is not only at the algorithmic level, but also significantly involves the performance of the Bots' hardware motors, reducers, and other components.

The reporter from "Daily Economic News" noticed that in this competition, the operation of Yushu Technology's Bots not only utilized the previously known joystick control but also employed two other operation methods: voice control and motion sensing control.

"Throw a left jab, then a right jab." The staff of Yushu Technology demonstrated the control of fighting Bots through voice commands during the live broadcast on May 21. In this fighting competition, the Yushu Technology Bots focused on showcasing 9 combat moves, including jabs, hooks, kicks, and evasions.

Wang Qixin, a director of Yushu Technology, introduced on the CCTV live broadcast on the evening of May 25: "Teaching Bots a set of movements is not an easy task. Currently, we actually rely on AI technology to enable Bots to learn. First, motion capture will be based on some professional martial artists, using their motion capture data to allow Bots to learn these movements in a virtual world."

Image source: Yushu Technology provided the image.

Beyond the hustle and bustle, there are insights to be gained.

Experts: Human-machine collaboration is key.

"A bit exciting."

"Great Strength Vajra Legs."

"Technology is constant progress."

……

The live broadcast of carbon-based life forms operating silicon-based life forms in combat has attracted a large number of online viewers and comments, with some calling it thrilling, while others expressed different opinions.

For humanoid robots that require remote control by humans, many netizens have raised doubts: isn't this just a large toy? Is it worth buying a remote-controlled toy for 99,000 yuan?

Image source: provided by Yushu Technology

Liu Tai, the deputy chief engineer of the Thiel System Laboratory of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, introduced that ordinary remote-controlled toys correspond to a single controller object. However, humanoid robots have many sensors, and behind them is a complete set of algorithms supported by large models and motion control models.

Li Gaofeng also stated that remote-controlled toys cannot react to the actual situation on site in real time, while humanoid Bots can adjust their force feedback in real time based on the on-site conditions.

For the main highlights of humanoid robot combat, the first lies in the fluidity of the robot's skills, combining AI with the robot to capture human movements and redirect them to the humanoid robot; the second is human-robot collaboration, where the combat competition is not just about showcasing the robot's performance, but more about demonstrating the robot's fundamental abilities, as well as how humans make on-the-spot decisions and release different skills based on the situation; the third highlight is the recovery actions of the robot after it falls.

"Compared to half a year ago, a year ago, or several years ago, it's still hard for us to imagine that Bots can perform such smooth movements, so I think this is a technological advancement," said Li Gaofeng.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

In 1959, the first robot product Unimate by Unimation was launched. In the following decades, humanoid robot technology has continuously made breakthroughs through scientific research in different countries around the world. Today, China's humanoid robot industry is thriving, and in the wave of AI technology, it has ushered in a new opportunity for advancement. This robot fighting competition has also raised new expectations among netizens for the technological progress of humanoid robots.

However, there are still bottlenecks that need to be overcome. Wang Xingxing, the founder of Yushu Technology, recently stated that the biggest challenge in the Bots industry is actually not the hardware issue, but that the unified end-to-end artificial intelligence is still not good enough.

Joe Hattab, an overseas blogger and documentary director with tens of millions of fans, was amazed by the flexibility of Unitree's G1 robot in an interview with a reporter from National Business Daily. "The flexibility of the G1 is insane, you can push it like this and it won't fall! It can even play kung fu moves. How do you do that? By the way, it also cooks...... Although the level is average. Maybe I'll be able to learn how to cook in the future! Joe Hattab said that AI and robotics in robotics are what interests him the most.

When it comes to humanoid Bots, Boston Dynamics has long been regarded as a technological benchmark. Compared to Boston Dynamics, Yushu Technology has two core advantages: first, it uses motor drive instead of costly and maintenance-intensive hydraulic drive; second, the product cost is lower and the price is more affordable.

When discussing the technological development of humanoid Bots, Joe Hattab stated: "I haven't seen Boston Dynamics' latest model, I've only seen it on social media. To make a fair comparison, I need to study both in person. However, Yu Shu's Bots are indeed impressive. Everyone says Boston Dynamics is the best in the world, and I hope Yu Shu can compete with them."

2025: The Year of Mass Production for Bots?

In recent years, the humanoid robot sector has witnessed explosive growth, gradually transitioning from science fiction concepts to commercial reality. According to data from Fortune Business Insights, the global humanoid robot market size is expected to soar from $3.28 billion in 2024 to $66 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 45.5%, far exceeding the 20% growth rate of industrial robots.

CMB International believes that under the multiple resonance of policy drive, technological inflection points, scenario revolutions, and local supply chain advantages, domestic humanoid Bots are expected to replicate the successful experience of new energy vehicles and form a leading advantage.

Minsheng Securities analysis believes that humanoid robots are about to enter an industrialization turning point, with an expected global total of tens of thousands by 2025. In 2025, leading humanoid robot companies both domestically and internationally are expected to enter the mass production stage.

Since 2022, the humanoid robot sector has experienced multiple rounds of market activity in the capital markets. In early January 2025, Musk updated the shipment expectations for Optimus, predicting that shipments will reach between 500,000 and 1,000,000 units by 2027; Yushu Technology has gained increased attention for domestic robots due to the impressive performance of its B2-W quadruped robotic dog and the Spring Festival Gala performance of its humanoid robot H1.

Image source: Screenshot of Minsheng Securities research report

On May 23, Xinhua News Agency reported that, according to business big data monitoring, from January to April, the online sales of digital products increased by 8.4% year-on-year, among which, intelligent Bots and smart home systems increased by 87.6% and 16% respectively.

(Source: Daily Economic News)

Source: Eastmoney.com

Author: Daily Economic News