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Robotics startup has real human vs. robot cage match, California responds with cease-and-desist order — regulator threatens misdemeanor charges after YouTuber fights three robotic humanoids It’s Real Steel come to life. A robotics startup just received a cease-and-desist letter from the state of California after it hosted a human vs. robot fight in San Francisco. REK founder and CEO Cix Liv shared the document on social media, with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) telling the company to stop holding, promoting, or sponsoring these unsanctioned fights and that organizing them without a license is a misdemeanor. You can see the video of the fight that prompted the order by expanding the tweet below. The cease-and-desist refers to the human vs. humanoid cage fight that the company sponsored on Sep. 18, 2026, where YouTuber Frankie LaPenna entered a fighting cage and faced off with three different robots. Now, it’s unclear if this was a sporting contest or a promotional stunt, but it was clearly used to give the REK robot fighting platform more publicity. After all, REK has been advertising its events as “Real pilots, real punches. Humanoid robots in brutal, full-contact combat,” and even offers private events with robots facing off in three rounds. Aside from that, a robot is already dangerous as it is, so a human facing off with one raises countless safety concerns and ethical issues. You can read the full order by expanding the tweet below. REK is proof of life imitating art, as we’ve already seen something similar in the movie Real Steel, with Hugh Jackman’s character and his son training a discarded humanoid boxing robot, allowing it to rise through the ranks and challenge the reigning champion in a classic underdog plot intertwined with a father-and-son story. While there’s no indication that Liv was inspired by the 2011 Hollywood film, the similarity of their concepts is quite uncanny. We’ve also seen another robot startup following into the footsteps of Hollywood after it decommissioned its old robots “Terminator-style” by making them jump into a vat of molten steel. If you’re interested in seeing these matches, REK has listed its past events on its website, where you can watch some of their replays on YouTube. The company hosts live events, although we don’t have a schedule for the remainder of the year yet; those who want to see them in the metal without waiting for a match can sponsor a private event, which starts at a cool $10,000. But if you’re interested in piloting one of these fighting robots, you can download the company’s official Real Robot Simulator, which is available on Steam and Meta Quest. Those who reach the Pro level and qualify could even get to pilot the real thing in a live event. Regardless of whether the LaPenna vs. robot fight was a legitimate combat sports event or a promotional showcase, it just made sense for CSAC to step in. After all, the state agency regulates combat sports where at least one party is a human to ensure fairness and enforce safety, especially with lives involved. But with the way the cease-and-desist was worded, it looks as though CSAC would not have intervened if the September 18 fight had just been between robots. The Cease and Desist Order “PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that you and each of you are hereby ordered to cease and desist from: (1) holding, promoting, or advertising any boxing or mixed martial arts contest match, or exhibition, involving any human in the State of California without the prior approval of the California State Athletic Commission, or (2) engaging in the promotion of, or participation in, a boxing or martial arts contest, match, or exhibition involving any human without a license pursuant to Business and Professions Code section 18640,” CSAC said in its letter. “PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that Business and Professions Code section 18870 and 18878 make it a misdemeanor for a person or promoter who is required to be license by the State Athletic Commission to directly or indirectly hold, aid or abet, or attempt to hold, aid, or abet the holding of, any contest, match, or exhibition without having first obtained a license or permit therefor from the State Athletic Commission or to otherwise violate any provision of the State Athletic Commission Act.” Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics. - thisisaname They have been watching too much Twilight Zone. This looks very much like the episode Steel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_(The_Twilight_Zone) Reply - ggeeoorrggee If the robots didn’t demolish the guy, make better robots. We literally invented tools and machines to do work we couldn’t do with our bare hands. They should all move/run/think faster than us otherwise why are we building them? The autonomy of these devices is far more important and concerning than whether they can beat Usain Bolt or clobber some doofus. I’ll be impressed when they infallibly don't end every fight by going The Mountain to the human’s Viper. Reply - bill001g The guy is so "worried",he will move it to another state or even another country. All California did was provide him free advertising with lot of large news services carrying it. If they had ignored it this would have been one of the humans doing stupid stuff on tiktok that would soon be replaced by the next stupid human that few people hear or care about.Reply - TheBeastFromOz And the human race just gets more and more stupid by the day, with the USA leading the charge.Reply
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