California is trying to shut down robot vs. human cage matches
The California State Athletic Commission has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Rek, a startup that hosted a cage match between a human and a humanoid robot, according to reporting by The New York Times. The fight took place on September 18th.
The human participant was Frankie LaPenna, who faced a humanoid robot owned by Rek. According to the NYT's description, the robot was being piloted by a human through a remote virtual-reality system. Rek states on its website that it is the humanoid robot fighting league.
The robot used in the match appears to be manufactured by EngineAI, with a head resembling the Terminator swapped on top. A replay of the fight is available on YouTube.
The Verge's excerpt also notes that the CEO of Rek … with the full story available at The Verge. The cease-and-desist letter represents the commission's attempt to shut down the robot versus human cage matches.
Why it matters: The action by a state athletic commission against a robot fighting startup indicates that regulators are treating human-versus-robot combat events as subject to oversight, which could affect how similar exhibitions are staged or licensed in California.
Based on reporting from the original publisher. Visit the source for full context and later updates.
Publisher excerpt
The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to a startup that hosted a match between a human and a robot last month, as reported by The New York Times. The fight, which took place on September 18th, pitted a human, Frankie LaPenna, against a humanoid robot owned by a tech startup, Rek, that […]