Russian Team Enters First Humanoid Robot World Championship

Russia’s MindRobots is among 32 teams selected for the world’s first championship for full-size humanoid robots. The Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend (URKL) will begin on July 16 in Shenzhen, with the final scheduled for the end of the year.

The tournament features unrestricted fights between humanoid robots. Organizers received more than 200 applications from around the world, selecting only teams that passed the qualifying stage.

MindRobots prepared using its own robot-control software and the Russian Kodik AI development environment. The team’s motto is: “We hit hard, but with respect.”

The event was organized by China’s EngineAI, which provided every participant with the same robotic platform. That setup is intended to make software, rather than hardware differences, a central factor in the competition.

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China has invested in humanoid robotics for several years, while companies such as Unitree and EngineAI have demonstrated machines capable of walking, maintaining balance, and handling dynamic scenarios. The combat format also provides a demanding test of control algorithms, stability, and real-time response.

The URKL champion will receive a championship belt made from 10 kilograms of pure gold. Organizers value the prize at approximately 10 million yuan, or $1.5 million.

Ilya Ignatov is a technology journalist and news writer. He graduated from the Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics with a degree in information security and has covered hardware, software, and consumer electronics since 2018.