Featured Image Credit: Sky News
Topics: Boxing
John McDougall
Las Vegas has been the stage for many boxing matches over the years and this week saw a robot take on a human in the ring with a surprise domination ensuing.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has recently take place in Sin City and is the biggest technology fair on the planet.
As part of the event, a robot was brought by Chinese robotics firm Unitree, with a G1 unit entering a boxing ring and taking on Sky News reporter Rowland Manthorpe.
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Reflecting in a story, Manthorpe admitted that the robot initially had the upper hand in the encounter.
He wrote: "My first fight with a robot started badly.
"I punched it hard in the chest and felt a jarring sensation running back up my arm. It was like hitting a brick wall."
The fight changed direction when Manthorpe changed tack and began to employ his feet, which traditionally are not used in boxing and would normally lead to a disqualification.
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However, it helped tip the fight firmly in his favour.
He continued: "Things got better when I started kicking it.
"I gave it a good shove with my foot and it went reeling back into the ropes of the ring.
"At this point, a human might have given up, but robots are indefatigable. It bounced straight back up, ready for further punishment.
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"So I kicked it again.
"I am not proud of this, but in my defence, it was the robot or me. I couldn't let humanity down.
"To clarify, the robot was fine with all this. Well, its owners were anyway - I didn't exchange many words with my opponent, mainly because it couldn't talk.
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"The event was arranged as a demonstration of the robot's ability to work alongside humans. It had no chance of beating me or even landing a blow."
Images show Manthorpe triumphant in the ring with his foot planted on the robot's chest and his arms aloft in victory after a dominant win.
Following his win, Manthorpe reflected on the robot's strengths and weaknesses in the fight.
He pinpointed the machine being able to get back to its feet after a 'hefty' blow, but that it faced a challenge when trying to balance itself.
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Manthorpe added that the robot lacked agility and that it was unable to dodge blows like a human would be able to, though this partly down to Unitree's intention to let people enjoy the experience and win.