A brief go to with plenty of enjoyable at REK

When I used to be in San Francisco, I managed to do a fast go to to REK, the startup that desires to make use of robots for mainstream leisure. It was one of many coolest moments of this journey to the US, so maintain studying!

REK

REK (Robot Entertainment Kombat) is an organization co-founded by Cix Liv (initially with Amanda Watson and Nima Zeighami) with the aim of utilizing humanoid robots for mainstream leisure. As you’ll be able to perceive from the identify, the principle leisure concept they’d was robots having boxing fights with one another.

REK shortly grew to become standard within the tech discipline as a result of… nicely, “fighting between humanoid robots”… ought to I actually clarify why that is cool?? The firm organized a couple of evening occasions the place you would see humanoid robots preventing in a cage. They have been fully bought out. I do know a couple of individuals who attended these occasions, they usually mentioned the vibes have been superb. The preventing half was nonetheless a bit tough, although, however the firm is engaged on it.

The concept is that the robots don’t struggle routinely, however there are individuals inside VR headsets shifting them. So it’s like doing boxing in VR, however the struggle doesn’t occur solely nearly, however bodily via humanoid robots. It’s a really attention-grabbing idea. The present drawback is that the robots that the corporate is utilizing aren’t particularly made for this use case, so the corporate has now to work to make them struggle higher. When I used to be there, they confirmed me one thing about their work in progress.

The fights are the central a part of the REK imaginative and prescient, however it isn’t the one one. Now the corporate is opening a giant store in San Francisco, and I visited it after they have been nonetheless portray it, and there have been plenty of packing containers in every single place. But when it opens (fairly quickly, I suppose), it has the ambition to turn out to be the primary bodily retailer for humanoid robots within the US. And inside, you should purchase robots, hire robots, and, in fact, see the robots in motion. There may even be a giant cage in the course of the store in order that the fights can even occur there. But it received’t solely be in regards to the fights: within the store, the robots may even entertain you in different methods, however I received’t inform you learn how to not spoil you every little thing.

Since the robots often get broken when performing loopy stunts, REK can be specializing in fixing them, so that is one other service the corporate will supply. It will mainly be a one-stop store for humanoid robots, plus plenty of leisure.

REK is all about leisure and has no real interest in the army use of robots. Cix additionally instructed me that in the intervening time these civilian robots aren’t prepared for any army use, particularly at a second when drones are already very low cost and lethal. Entertainment is probably the most appropriate and enjoyable use case of them, and the corporate is all-in with that.

All robots utilized by REK are Chinese. I noticed Cix commenting plenty of occasions on X that he would love to make use of American ones, however in the intervening time, there may be actually no comparability doable between what’s obtainable in China and what’s obtainable within the US. Consider that it’s now doable to purchase a Unitree humanoid robotic for lower than $20K: it’s some huge cash, however it isn’t the loopy cash that was wanted till a couple of years in the past. Robotics is slowly being democratized by the Chinese.

Hands-on with the robots

As I instructed you, the store remains to be below building, so I couldn’t participate in a cage struggle myself. I might have cherished to try this, however perhaps it can occur subsequent time I go to. Cix and his staff have been nonetheless tremendous sort sufficient to take some robots from the closet and present me some good demos of them.

The first robotic I used to be proven had some good preventing strikes! It was additionally tremendous cool that it might arise in a short time from any place on the bottom. It was managed with a gamepad, like many of the robots there. You can see it in motion right here on this video.

Then it got here the flip of one other robotic, which was so cute: it detected the pat on its head (you can too hear the audio, if you need)…

But this robotic gave its finest when it danced. It had some sick strikes…

Talking about dance strikes, this was not the one robotic that had a preset demo by which it synchronized with a track. The finest second got here after they introduced a cute, small humanoid robotic in entrance of me. And then they made it dance Beat It by Michael Jackson. Unluckily, it didn’t moonwalk (I might have purchased it immediately, in any other case), nevertheless it was tremendous cool to look at anyway.

But this small boi might do extra… since we’re throughout World Cup occasions, in fact, it needed to play soccer! So right here you’re, Cix enjoying soccer with him

It was enjoyable that the robotic chased the ball as if it have been the principle goal of its existence. During my time there, it jumped into objects, crashed into partitions, did every little thing it might simply to get to kick the ball. Now I perceive why REK needs to be an professional in reparations, too…

Anyway, the lovable robotic additionally had a “grumpy grandpa” mode, which was tremendous enjoyable:

This was only a brief choice of what is going to be obtainable within the store. There have been different robots I couldn’t strive, however that have been tremendous cool to see, like this one which seemed like Predator…

Final impressions

I feel REK is as much as one thing. Cix has all the time been a serial entrepreneur with good concepts (e.g. he based VR startup LIV), and this firm isn’t any exception to this rule.

He simply confirmed me some straightforward pre-set demos, and I already had a ton of enjoyable. It jogged my memory of after we have been within the early days of VR (I imply, we’re nonetheless within the early days, however let’s say the early days of those early days) in 2015, and I confirmed easy VR demos to my associates, they usually have been already excited by them. I had a very nice time there, so I’m fairly positive that when the store is prepared, many individuals would love to simply go there and see what these loopy robots are in a position to do.

The cage fights are the place REK can really shine: the concept is cool, and the corporate simply must make the robots in a position to struggle in a great way. I noticed they’re engaged on it. I additionally noticed the staff will get alongside fairly nicely, and there are gifted individuals in it, in order that they have an opportunity to succeed.

My solely massive query is how this factor can lengthen past San Francisco. I imply, San Francisco loves expertise and loves daring issues, so it’s the excellent place for a store like REK. I’m fairly positive that REK may have a blast there. But wouldn’t it have the identical success in a extra conventional Italian metropolis? I don’t know, however I suppose we’ll uncover when the corporate tries to have a extra worldwide enlargement.

In any case, as a nerd, for me, being in that store and having these demos was like a child coming into a pastry store with $50 within the pocket. I actually thank REK for internet hosting me for a while, and I actually want Cix and his firm plenty of luck. And if you wish to know extra, head to its website!