California tells ‘Terminator’ robot fight company to stop; CEO celebrates the notice
California regulators have issued a cease-and-desist order to a startup called Robot Entertainment Kombat for hosting unsanctioned human-versus-robot fighting matches. The company's CEO is challenging the order, arguing that the state's combat sports laws only apply to human-to-human matches.
Why it matters
This case highlights the legal and ethical gray areas emerging as robotics technology advances into entertainment and physical combat sectors.
California's combat sports regulator has told a San Francisco start-up to stop putting humans in a cage with its robots. The order comes weeks after one of the company's steel humanoids, built to look like the original Terminator, sent a YouTuber flying across its octagon in front of a cheering crowd.The California State Athletic Commission sent the cease-and-desist letter on September 30 to REK, short for Robot Entertainment Kombat, over its unsanctioned "Human vs Robot" event on September 18. Chief executive Cix Liv did not sound worried. He posted the letter on X the same day with a short caption: "We made it, boys."The letter says any boxing or mixed martial arts contest, match or exhibition involving a human in California needs the commission's approval first.
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