California tells ‘Terminator’ robot fight company to stop; CEO celebrates the notice
California's State Athletic Commission has sent a cease-and-desist letter to REK (Robot Entertainment Kombat), the San Francisco start-up behind a viral human vs robot cage fight. YouTuber Frankie LaPenna fought three humanoid robots, including a 'Terminator'-like EngineAI T800, at the unsanctioned September 18 event. CEO Cix Liv posted the letter on X and celebrated the notice, arguing that…
California's combat sports regulator has ordered a San Francisco startup, REK, to cease its human versus robot combat events. The notice comes after one of REK's Terminator-like robots, known as Predator, injured a YouTuber during a September event. The California State Athletic Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter on September 30, citing that any boxing or mixed martial arts contest involving a human in California requires prior approval.
REK CEO Cix Liv believes the law only applies to contests between people and argues the legality of the issue in court. REK's robots, controlled remotely by humans using VR headsets or gamepads, require pilots to make each strike. California's combat sports rules are not explicitly designed for robot opponents and the commission stated that they will consider fresh guidance as robot technology evolves.
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