Why do we like to watch robots fight against each other?

There is an interesting phenomenon. At this year's WAIC, the most popular exhibition area turned out to be the robot fighting arena. It can be said that 80% of the robots on - site were engaged in fights, attracting tens of thousands of on - lookers. Many parents even specially bought expensive scalper tickets to bring their children to watch the robots beat each other.

For example, on the arena of Unitree Technology's exhibition area, two humanoid robots with a height of 1.32 meters launched a fierce confrontation that lasted for several minutes.

The on - site video shows that one side forced the opponent into a corner with a series of continuous straight punches, while the other suddenly squatted down and used a sweeping kick. The metal joints rubbed against the arena floor, making a shrill sound.

When one side finally locked the opponent's neck with a mechanical arm and forced the system to judge the opponent's surrender, the on - site erupted into thunderous cheers.

This inevitably makes people wonder. Why is the most well - known scene of embodied intelligence the robots' mutual fights? How did robot fights capture users' minds?

The Evolution History of Robot Fighting

The story of robot fights dates back to 40 years ago.

In 1986, at the MileHiCon science - fiction collection event held in Denver, Colorado, USA, the Critter Crunch, a competition based on remote - controlled cars, appeared for the first time. This was also the prototype of the subsequent robot fighting competitions.

But during that period, robot battles were more like a steel confrontation, mainly featuring destructive battles. Most of these robots were welded with gears and steel plates. The competition rules were simple and crude. Whoever had a stronger mechanical structure and a more powerful motor could survive the collisions. At that time, the battles were more like remote - controlled tanks colliding with each other, with limited viewing appeal. But it laid the basic concept of robot fighting: destroy the opponent and preserve oneself.

Entering the 21st century, robot fighting entered a period of explosion, and the battles evolved from physical confrontations to tactical competitions. The rise of events such as RoboGames and BattleBots made the competition rules more standardized, and robot design also became more professional. In this stage, rotating saws, hydraulic clamps, and ejection devices were added to the battles. The weapon systems were more complex, and the battles were more intense. At the same time, the viewing appeal of the events was greatly improved. Contestants not only had to compete in terms of hardware but also had to study tactical strategies, such as how to use the venue obstacles to launch a fatal blow.

After 2020, with the development of generative AI and computer vision technology, robot fighting entered the stage of intelligent confrontation. Today's fighting robots no longer completely rely on human remote control. Instead, they can autonomously identify opponents, analyze the battlefield situation, and formulate attack strategies through sensors and algorithms. The confrontation in this stage has upgraded from who is more resistant to who is smarter. Robots not only need to have a strong physical structure but also need the ability to make quick decisions such as dynamic dodging, weakness analysis, and tactical deception.

It can be seen that robot fighting competitions have always developed along three paths.

First, from brute - force fighting to strategic fighting, the confrontation dimension has changed from physical destruction to algorithmic confrontation. If the early robot fighting was a head - on collision, then robots with real - time AI decision - making are much more cunning. Currently, robots can predict the opponent's movement trajectory through dynamic game algorithms and autonomously choose dodging or counter - attacking strategies.

Second, the development from single - modality to multi - modality has made robots' recognition and perception abilities stronger and their tactical action libraries richer. Initially, robots could only obtain two - dimensional image information through RGB cameras to choose to ram or retreat. Now, they can not only perform basic ramming attacks but also perform combination moves such as hooks, sweeping kicks, and takedowns like professional boxers.

Finally, from manual remote control to human - machine co - battle. In the past, robots completely relied on real - time operation by operators. Every punching and dodging action required manual instructions, with an obvious sense of lag. Now, the ability of robot fighting to autonomously plan simple attacks and defenses has gradually made breakthroughs.

The ability of robots to fight each other has been evolving. At the same time, the number of on - lookers has been increasing, and their ability to break through the circle has been getting stronger.

In May this year, the CMG Fighting Competition attracted more than 200 robot teams from more than 30 countries to participate. The on - site audience exceeded 50,000, and the online live - viewing volume exceeded 200 million times. The related topics topped the hot lists on Douyin and Weibo.

So, why are we so keen on watching robots fight each other? What's so interesting about two steel dolls fighting?

Why Do Robot Fights Make the Whole Nation Go Wild?

Why has robot fighting been a hot topic for so many years?

On the one hand, it is the charm of technological wonders. Moves such as straight punches, side kicks, and sweeping kicks most intuitively demonstrate the robots' movement ability, balance control, and reaction speed. They are far more eye - catching than static displays or simple interactions. Moreover, the violent aesthetics full of visual impact, such as high - speed rotating weapons and the moment of victory or defeat, are naturally suitable for short - video dissemination and can easily break through the circle on social media.

For example, when G1 quickly got up after being knocked down, the audience would unconsciously endow it with human characteristics such as "fighting spirit" and "refusing to admit defeat"; the "butt - patting" provocative action made by the South Korean AURA - X robot after knocking out its opponent triggered a heated discussion about "robot awakening".

On the other hand, the technology has not yet reached the level of handling fine and complex tasks such as cutting fruits. The mutual fighting performances between robots do not need to face the complexity of the real world. The training mode with high efficiency, low cost, and strong feedback in a specific environment is easier to concentrate resources for breakthroughs. This makes robot fights a second - best but wisest choice for embodied intelligence companies to attract public attention.

Besides the technical aspect, from a public psychological perspective, human nature naturally pursues the stimulation of violent scenes to secrete adrenaline.

At the beginning of the year, a video of a foreigner beating up Unitree's robot G1 on social media platform X attracted 80 million views and sparked a controversy.

Some bloggers said: "It's wrong to abuse robots. The built - in AI system will remember this trauma." Some other bloggers thought: "Stop anthropomorphizing AI. They are just like discarded and resold old mobile phones, without any signs of life."

The divided attitudes towards this phenomenon actually have profound social and psychological motivations.

A study by the University of Duisburg - Essen in Germany found that when humans watch robots being treated violently, the limbic system of the brain will be more strongly activated than when robots are treated friendly, but people also need moral shelter. Robot fights provide a safe way to vent the violent impulses suppressed by civilized society without moral burden. The real - life scenes more real than movies release the need for vicarious violence.

From the ancient Roman Colosseum to modern MMA fighting, humans' obsession with violent sports has never changed. Robot fights continue this tradition but present it in a safer and more technological way. Audiences can enjoy the excitement of every punch hitting the "flesh" without worrying about real harm and public condemnation.

Driven by several factors, robot fights have become the most effective way to attract traffic. Robot companies also regard events such as sports performances as excellent opportunities for their products to break through the circle and seek business attention. But at the same time, a deeper concern emerges:

As more and more embodied intelligence companies tend to create gimmicks through performances, will the development path of robot technology become narrower and narrower?

Is It Good or Bad for Robots to Gather for Shows?

From Unitree's robot wearing a cotton - padded jacket and spinning a handkerchief on the Spring Festival Gala at the beginning of the year, to the robot half - marathon in spring, and now to the robot fighting, these seemingly cool performances essentially meet emotional needs.

For the public without a technical background, the skillful performances may create an illusion: robots can do everything, from the living room to the kitchen.

The reality is that they may be good at showy moves but even have difficulty picking up a knife to cut an apple.

To put it simply, the robot fighting arena has fixed boundaries, clear rules, and few unexpected variables. It belongs to a highly structured arena, only needing to deal with predictable opponents. Its dedicated algorithms are optimized to the extreme for limited scenarios, with a high success rate. However, daily tasks require dealing with countless uncertain factors in an open environment. For example, when cutting an apple, the shape and hardness of the apple vary, and the force of the knife needs to be adjusted in real - time. The error tolerance rate is extremely low, requiring the robot to have a deeper understanding of the physical world.

Just like professional athletes may not be good at housework, the current robot technology is still in the stage of specialization, and there is still a long way to go before reaching true general artificial intelligence.

As for whether it is good or bad for robots to gather for shows, it cannot be generalized.

On the one hand, it can help embodied intelligence companies without funds to quickly raise funds to tackle actual technical problems. But on the other hand, if companies continue to pursue fighting performances rather than practical applications, it will lead to the narrowing of the technical path and the misallocation of resources. The concept of humanoid robots may very likely turn into a bubble.

Whether embodied intelligence can enter the next stage depends on when humanoid robots can truly reach the critical point of technology and cost, making their practical value as tangible as generative AI or their emotional value as accessible as plush toys.

After all, no one will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy two steel dolls to fight every day.

This article is from the WeChat public account "BrainyBody", author: Shan Hu. 36Kr is published with authorization.