RIYADH, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- CyberHero x Riyadh, a humanoid robot combat event, was held in the Saudi capital on Wednesday night, with Team FBA defeating Team AL Majd 4-3 after seven rounds to claim the title.
Described by organizers as the Middle East's first humanoid robot combat event, the nearly two-hour competition featured two robots engaging in physical combat inside a purpose-built octagonal arena under the control of their operators.
The two sides split the opening six rounds to leave the contest tied at 3-3. In the decisive seventh round, Team FBA's robot knocked down its opponent with a powerful kick to seal the victory.
The competition featured T800 humanoid robots developed by Chinese robotics company EngineAI. According to organizers, each robot stands 1.73 meters tall, weighs between 75 and 85 kilograms and has 29 articulated joints.
During the bouts, the robots punched, kicked, jumped, defended and recovered from falls, with their ability to maintain balance after repeated physical contact and quickly resume movement proving an important factor.
According to event organizer Hero Esports, CyberHero incorporates elements of professional sports competition, including knockout decisions, damage statistics and round highlights.
"CyberHero was born from a bold idea about the future of competition: that robots can be pushed to test their limits, break new boundaries and improve through data generated in competition," said Danny Tang, co-founder and CEO of Hero Esports.
Tang said the company hopes competitive scenarios can help test and advance robotics technology.
"That is one of the lessons we have learned from esports, and it is also a responsibility we see for Hero Esports over the next decade -- to use competition to drive innovation and progress," she said.
Tang added that Hero Esports is establishing a global technology lab at its Shanghai headquarters to bring together technical expertise and talent from around the world.
Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation, welcomed the decision to stage the first CyberHero event in Riyadh.
"This is testament to the passion of our fans and Saudi Arabia's ongoing commitment to esports as a thriving sector and entertainment choice," he said, adding that the event had created "new boundaries for audience experience and competition."
According to organizers, CyberHero's inaugural season is planned to visit eight cities across four regions: the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia, with two stops scheduled for the Middle East.
The Riyadh event opened the series and showcased its competition format ahead of planned events in other regions. ■
