Giant fighting robots step into the ring at new San Francisco storefront for boxing bots

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A viral robot company is turning an empty San Francisco storefront into a space where visitors can watch, learn about and eventually buy humanoid robots.

REK, a company known for its robot fighting events, is expanding its operation with a storefront that will serve as both a showcase and a training center for its humanoid robots.

"We've been fighting robots for a little bit more than a year," Cix of REK said. "Last time we talked we were down at the gym on Van Ness. Those were four and a half feet tall, today we're upgrading to 6 feet."

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The larger robots bring a new level of power to the competition, according to Cix.

"It's not going to be making your dishes that's for sure," he said. "It's like a motorized bat. If you were hit by a bat going 100 miles per hour that's what it would be like to get hit by one of these."

Cix described the company's mission as bringing science fiction to life and the new storefront is expected to offer several services related to humanoid robots.

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"The REK shop here you'll be able to repair humanoids, be able to buy humanoids, rent them, and then we will also do classes so for the first time you'll be able to see a humanoid robot and figure out how to walk it and how to program it," Cix said.

He compared robot fighting to another technology-focused competition.

"Effectively, humanoid robot fights are the robot equivalent of car racing," Cix said.

As demonstrations took place inside the space, Cix said spectators can expect more than just flashy moves from the machines.

"You're going to see some moves, it's going to be the sound and the weight that you're going to recognize more than anything else," he said.

San Francisco residents visiting the showcase expressed excitement about seeing the technology up close.

"Honestly, the big one, like this one is insane, it's Iron Man, you cannot tell me that's not Iron Man right there," said Kamran Karic.

Karmen Leung said seeing robot combat in person was a sign of how far the technology has come.

"I think people have been talking about robots for many decades and it's very cool to finally see it come into fruition and see them getting into a fight right now," Leung said.

Cix likened the experience to a popular video game coming to life.

"It's effectively like Mortal Kombat blew out of a video game console and went into a piece of metal," he said.

Looking ahead, both Cix and visitors said they are eager to see what comes next for the growing world of humanoid robots.

"With robots, size matters," Cix said.