Government Officials Order the Robot Cage Fights to Stop, Organizers Say

REK / Futurism In mid-September, a new company called Robot Entertainment Kombat hosted what it claimed was the first-ever human-on-robot cage fight in California. The whole thing was more WWE than “Real Steel” — behind the scenes, the robot was controlled by a human handler, and its strikes were sold wrastlin’-style by the dramatic human performer it “fought.” Regardless of the authenticity, the California State Athletic Commission have apparently sent the organizers a cease and desist order, addressed to “all persons holding, promoting, advertising or sponsoring unsanctioned human versus humanoid robot cage fight[s].” Using the letter to drum up some buzz on social media, Robot Entertainment Kombat founder Cix Liv seemed happy just to have the attention. “We made it boys,” he wrote. As per the letter he posted, the organizers were ordered to immediately stop hosting and promoting human-robot cage fights, or else face a misdemeanor charge. In its letter, the Athletic Commission didn’t appear to take issue with the human-robot bouts per se, but with the organizers’ failure to secure the required permits. That may be a distinction without a difference, however, as the Athletic Commission cited California business code which states that “no [full contact martial arts] event shall take place without the prior approval of the commission,” meaning the agency could simply withhold approval and veto a human-robot cage fight on a case-by-case basis — likely without ever having to explicitly declare such an event explicitly verboten. More on robots: Bizarre Glitch Causes Delivery Robots to Swarm Busy City Sidewalk