Robots & AI: Sports Game at the Mall

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To celebrate the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, a shopping mall in Kwun Tong has brought in various humanoid robots from the mainland to host an AI Sports Game.

As China's elite athletes prepare for the year-end National Games, an unlikely squad has already stolen the show - meet these mechanical contenders here in the arena.

These two humanoid robots duked it out on stage, trading blows on the platform, appearing evenly matched, However, compared to real humans, they're noticeably less agile, and their punches often miss the mark.

Heung Pakwing, Hong Kong's Thai kickboxing lightweight champion, say these humanoid robots are more like human-shaped punching bags at the moment, and believe improvements are needed in reaction time and sensing speed.

How do their human teammates rate their performance in a kids' football match?

One child says the robots are a bit slower, and he would consider himself a much stronger player.

Another found his robot teammate pretty nice to play with, noting that it managed to block a few shots in a fast-paced game.

For those who are interested in challenging them, the venue also features interactive booths, including this Gomoku game, allowing residents and travellers to engage firsthand with AI robots,

The light-blue-clad contestant here took second place in the world's first humanoid robot half-marathon back in April, but since arriving in Hong Kong, its "footwork luck" seems to have faded.

Meanwhile, the compact Wukong robots impressively mimic Kungfu moves. 

The property developer owning the plaza said its shopping malls will host tailored events aligning with the city's mega-events in the future, hoping to attract more visitors.