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REK Introduces Humanoid Robot That Fought an Influencer in Video
In a 44‑second video from San Francisco‑based REK Robotics, the EngineAI T800 robot clashed with American influencer Frankie LaPenna. The goal was to showcase the machine’s physical capabilities; the robot is controlled by a remote operator.
REK Robotics organized the clash shown in the video, advertising it as the first human–humanoid robot fight. During the bout, Frankie LaPenna wore several pieces of protective gear and aimed to demonstrate whether the machine could win such a confrontation.
The EngineAI T800 model resembles the robot from the Terminator films. The video shows LaPenna repeatedly striking the machine, while the humanoid robot responded with punches and kicks. According to Interesting Engineering, however, the robot was controlled remotely by a human operator; thus the demonstration was not about autonomy.
In the footage, LaPenna struggled to land blows on the machine, and the robot likely did not actually kick. The company noted that the scene could have been choreographed, as LaPenna is known as a stunt performer.
REK promised to release additional footage of the fight later.
Source: https://hvg.hu/tudomany/20260923_humanoid-robot-kuzdosport-frankie-lapenna