REK simulator playoffs offer a route to pilot a real robot

REK simulator playoffs offer a route to pilot a real robot

REK’s REK 2.1 simulator playoffs begin October 30, with the first round scheduled to run from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m. the next day, according to the company’s Steam page. The top 6 players on the leaderboard each week will advance, for 12 finalists in all. REK says the best pilots will earn the chance to operate a real humanoid robot at a live event.

The company has not published the second week’s dates or explained what happens after the 12 finalists are chosen. It has also not announced a venue, fight card, rules, tickets or prize for November 20, the date previously given for REK 2.1. REK’s published information does not confirm that a live fight will take place that day.

Players can compete on PC, Meta Quest or iOS through TestFlight. REK describes its software as a simulator, not a way to remotely control a real robot, and says it uses the same neural nets as its humanoids. Those are the company’s claims, which Roboxing says it has not independently tested.

REK’s San Francisco arena hosts remotely piloted robot fights

Founded in 2025 by Cix Liv, REK, short for Robot Entertainment Kombat, has leased an arena on Van Ness Avenue in a former mattress showroom, according to the San Francisco Standard. The paper reported that about 100 people attended a weapons night, many paying $69. It named Nick Dobrikov, 24, as lead hardware engineer and the only other staff member it identified. REK has not published its total headcount.

The company’s Chinese-made humanoid robots are modified for combat and operated remotely, not autonomously, the Standard reported. REK’s site lists 14 fights in nine cities since September 2025, including three private bookings at company offices. The company has announced REK 2.1 for November 20 but has not published a venue or format.

REK has not disclosed its funding, revenue or a full fight calendar. The Standard reported that California’s athletic commission sent the company a cease-and-desist notice after a September human-versus-robot cage match over unlicensed combat. Roboxing said it had not found a public account of how the matter was resolved.

Unitree video shows H2-X robot performing stunts and rescue demonstrations

Unitree Robotics introduced its H2-X humanoid robot in a promotional video showing it performing punches, kicks, spins and somersaults, then landing after a jump from a platform about 4 meters high. The video also shows the robot lifting the front of a car above a dummy and pushing a dummy away from an oncoming vehicle.

In another staged scene, a man with a knife approaches a woman and the robot steps in front of her and tries to knock the weapon away. Unitree presents the scenarios as examples of possible security and rescue uses. The company says the robot is about 1.8 meters tall, weighs 70 kilograms and can operate for around 8 hours, though the conditions behind that runtime were not specified.

The South China Morning Post noted that the video did not show whether the robot could independently recognize threats and respond appropriately. The robot’s ability to operate safely around people, endure repeated impacts and function for long periods also needs further evaluation, according to the report.

World announces identity-system update aimed at deepfakes and bots

Sam Altman’s World project has announced what it calls its biggest update to World ID, an identity system intended to help services verify that users are human. The project’s World 4.0 update focuses on privacy, security and ease of use, according to the report.

World uses its Orb devices to scan faces and irises. The company says images are deleted after processing and that only anonymous parts of the resulting code are sent over a distributed network. The report says World has expanded partnerships to include Tinder, Zoom and Docusign, and has introduced an AgentKit tool for developers.

The report says Tinder users will be able to display a “Verified Human” badge, while Zoom’s “Deep Face” feature is intended to check that meeting participants are real people. World also says its identity system could be used by gaming and entertainment platforms to address scalper bots. The project continues to face criticism over biometric-data collection.

Roblox boxing guides offer information on free Spins and Gears

Eurogamer and Pro Game Guides published October 2026 guides to codes for Ragdoll Robot Boxing, a Roblox fighting game. Eurogamer says the game’s codes can provide Spins and Gears, which players can use to unlock robots.

Eurogamer describes matches as battles between robots in a ring and says the game’s codes are shared in its Discord server. Its guide says there were no expired codes at the time it was written, October 30, 2026.