--- title: "Alarming Video Shows Experimental Fighting Robot Thrashing Uncontrollably" description: "A video making the rounds on social media shows a humanoid robot flailing its arms and legs, seemingly trying to break free of a harness." date: "2025-07-21" modified: "2025-07-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/video-experimental-fighting-robot-thrashing-uncontrollably" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "fighting robot" - "Humanoid Robots" - "robotics" - "the digest" - "unitree" --- # Alarming Video Shows Experimental Fighting Robot Thrashing Uncontrollably ![A video making the rounds on social media shows a humanoid robot flailing its arms and legs, seemingly trying to break free of a harness.]() *\Image: Cix Liv via X\* ## Breaking Away A video making the rounds on social media shows a humanoid robot flailing its arms and legs, seemingly trying to break free of a harness. The [clip]() shows the robot causing the crane it's hanging from to collapse to the ground as a nearby human watches in shock, putting his hands on his head as he surveys the damage. "Oh my god, what the f\*ck was that?" a female voice, presumably belonging to robot combat company REK CTO Amanda Watson, can be heard saying in the background. "I'm so sorry." "What the f\*ck did you guys run?" Cix Liv, San Francisco-based VR developer and REK's self-proclaimed "chief robot fighter," replied incredulously. It's unclear whether the clip was part of a PR stunt. But it makes for an entertaining watch either way, highlighting growing interest in a new form of entertainment: watching [humanoid robots duke it out]() in the ring — a 21st-century twist on kickboxing we can certainly get behind, especially if it leads to less of the head trauma that [plagues human fighting athletes](). Still, money is clearly top of mind for the crew at REK. "Please make this go viral so I can pay for repairs," Liv pleaded in a [tweet](). "Our humanoid robot boy DeREK completely lost his mind." https://twitter.com/cixliv/status/1946648610940367008 ## Defying Gravity According to Liv, the freakout was the result of human error. "The technical reason is we ran a full body policy while the feet weren't touching the ground," Liv claimed in a [follow-up tweet](). "Don't do that." Liv, who has been in the VR gaming space for a decade, is working on ways to allow humans to remotely [pilot fighting robots using VR headsets]() with the help of his colleagues. The robot itself appears to be a G1, built by Chinese robotics company Unitree, whose agility is seriously astonishing. We've come across the same robot pulling off some [genuinely impressive kung fu moves]() — or [effortlessly conversing]() with pedestrians in West Hollywood, [using Gen Alpha slang](). "Surprisingly, he still walks," Liv [revealed]() after being asked if any of the components were permanently damaged after the company's latest faux pas. Other netizens had plenty of fun following Liv's terrifying encounter. "My buddy's son has entered his teenage rebellion phase," one user [joked](). "He’s growing up to be a strong boy," Liv replied. **More on humanoid robots:** *[Jake the Rizzbot Moves to California, Comes Out as Gay]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()