The World’s First Humanoid Robot Free Combat League, URKL, Officially Opens Global Registration
Shenzhen, April 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 
Recently, the URKL (Ultimate Robot Knock-out Legend), initiated and hosted by EngineAI, has officially launched global registration.
As a premier humanoid robot combat competition open to universities, enterprises, and research institutions worldwide, URKL adopts EngineAI humanoid robots as the standardized competition platform. The league is guided by its core principles of open-source collaboration, joint technological development, fair competition, and safe, non-violent engagement.
The competition focuses on key technological capabilities of humanoid robots, including motion control, balance algorithms, perception and decision-making, power systems, and structural protection. Destructive or excessively aggressive modifications are strictly prohibited. Instead, participating teams are encouraged to enhance robot performance through self-developed protective solutions, algorithm innovation, and engineering optimization, with the goal of building a global platform that combines both competitive excitement and scientific value.
To ensure fairness and professionalism, URKL adopts the T800 full-size humanoid robot, independently developed by EngineAI, as the unified competition platform. Equipped with EngineAI’s proprietary embodied intelligence algorithms and high-performance power systems, the T800 demonstrates exceptional dynamic balance and precise motion control, providing teams with a stable and reliable technological foundation.
The competition follows a core model of “standardized hardware + differentiated algorithms,” shifting the focus of competition toward algorithm optimization, motion control, and strategic decision-making. This approach truly embodies the philosophy of “validating technology through competition and advancing research through competition,” accelerating the transition of humanoid robotics from laboratory research to real-world application.
In terms of competition structure, URKL features a carefully designed format combining preliminary screening, group-stage round-robin matches, and single-elimination playoffs, ensuring both competitiveness and entertainment value while maintaining fairness and order.
Following registration and qualification, 16 teams will advance to the main competition. These teams will be divided into 4 groups for round-robin matches, with the top 2 teams from each group advancing to the Top 8. The Top 8 teams will compete in a cross-bracket single-elimination format to determine the Top 4. The final stage will include the semi-finals, third-place match, and grand final, ultimately determining the champion, runner-up, and second runner-up.
To encourage global participation and innovation in robotics, the competition offers a comprehensive and highly rewarding incentive system, covering honor, financial rewards, and development opportunities.
All Top 4 teams will receive substantial prize money, with the championship team awarded an exclusive gold championship belt weighing 10 kilograms and valued at approximately USD 1,450,000（RMB 10 million）. All teams reaching the Top 16 will receive an EngineAI T800 humanoid robot to support further research and development. In addition, all members of the Top 8 teams will receive a limited-edition EngineAI T800 humanoid robot, along with access to a priority recruitment channel (fast-track offers) from EngineAI, supporting their continued growth in both technology and career development.
The high-intensity and highly realistic combat scenarios created by URKL will serve as a true “proving ground” for core humanoid robotics technologies. Real-world competitive testing will drive continuous breakthroughs in motion control, perception and decision-making, human-robot interaction, and structural protection, accelerating the engineering and practical deployment of embodied intelligence technologies.
At the same time, URKL will bring together top global talent, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative ideas in the humanoid robotics field, establishing an efficient industry–academia–research–application collaboration platform. This will promote resource integration across the value chain, address key industry challenges such as technological bottlenecks and ecosystem fragmentation, and foster a virtuous cycle of “technology development → competition validation → commercialization → industrial upgrading.”
As the world’s first commercialized humanoid robot competitive league, URKL is expected to significantly enhance public awareness and industry influence in the humanoid robotics and embodied intelligence sectors. It will attract greater investment, talent, and high-quality resources, helping the industry move beyond a “concept-driven” phase toward real-world applications, and accelerating the transition from concept demonstration to practical deployment. Ultimately, URKL aims to build an open, collaborative, and win-win global ecosystem, injecting sustained momentum into the development of the industry.
The global registration for URKL is now officially open. Interested teams may apply via the official website of EngineAI:
https://en.engineai.com.cn/
Detailed registration information is available on the official website.
URKL, a humanoid robot combat competition, is open to teams worldwide. The event aims to bring together innovators in robotics to showcase technological capabilities, promote knowledge exchange, and explore new possibilities in the development of humanoid robot competitions and the broader robotics industry.
Zibin Cen URKL@engineai.com.cn
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