A local company that makes and sells fighting humanoid robots is opening a permanent location in SF’s Nob Hill in July. While the company's robots are strictly used for entertainment purposes, recent close-calls involving humanoids have raised safety concerns.

San Francisco robotics company Robot Entertainment Kombat (REK), which orchestrates live robot-fighting events throughout San Francisco and nationally, signed a lease this week at 1415 Van Ness Avenue in SF’s Nob Hill. The 6,000-square-foot ground floor space will serve as a permanent gym and strorefront for the company, which aims to expand to the second floor — and then "globally," as the Chronicle reports.

Customers will be able to purchase, rent, repair, customize, and test REK's latest humanoid models at the new Van Ness location, which will be open to the public in July with private demos held in June.

“We realized that to familiarize people with robots in our lives we must start introducing them,” said the company’s founder Cix Liv, speaking to the Chronicle. “We hope to also have the robots know the people by name so they can talk to our customers.”

According to the site Rest of the World, some of the current robots REK features in its fights are made by Unitree, China’s leading robot company. The humanoids are about 4.5 feet tall, weigh about 80 pounds, and feature flexible, human-like hands and joints.

The robots are controlled by humans, sometimes even kids, and the fighting events consist of the same theatrics as real boxing matches, including referees carting away damaged humanoids on a stretcher.

@mikekalilmfg A record crowd just turned out to watch Chinese humanoids battle in the ring in San Francisco, as concerns rise about the safety and security of the robots. REK, short for Robot Entertainment Kombat, called it the world's first VR-controlled humanoid robot fight event. Organizers reported selling nearly 3,400 tickets to the spectacle at the Temple Night Club, the biggest draw in the club's 20-year history. Reports on social media indicate a substantial number of attendees were turned away due to the overbooking. The venue's standing capacity is around 2,500. Twitch co-founder Justin Kan and UFC veteran Hyder Amil headlined the event, each piloting Unitree robots that stand 127 cm about the height of the OG M3GAN. You might recognize it as Rizzbot. The bout ended in a decision favoring the Twitch co-founder. There's growing interest in robots in the ring, with UFC and Unitree teasing a collaboration after the Hangzhou-based robotics leader held its first humanoid kickboxing tournament earlier in 2025. Shenzhen-based startup EngineAI, which is developing a humanoid inspired by the T800 from The Terminator franchise, is planning a match featuring full-sized humanoids for December 2025. While Unitree’s matches have mainly featured remote-controlled robots, REK uses VR headsets so fighters can embody the robots in real time. Yeah, like Real Steel. Organizers said they'll hold their next event at a larger venue. #ai #robotics #humanoidrobot #humanoidrobots #airobot #robots #clanker #unitreeg1 ♬ original sound - Kalil 4.0

Rest of the World spoke to a 13-year-old participant who said he liked robot boxing matches because humanoid boxers can easily be repaired, as opposed to human boxers who sustain major injuries.

While it’s true that robot boxing matches appear to be pretty safe, recent viral incidents involving humanoid robots have shown what can happen when they encounter a human or technical error.

SFist reported recently on the benign incident of a robot dancing uncontrollably at a Cupertino restaurant, but another recent mishap in China involved a child being slapped by a similar model.

Additionally, a human handler was reportedly kicked in the groin earlier this year by a Unitree robot that was mimicking his movements. Another model was recently “detained” by police for scaring an elderly woman so badly she needed hospitalization.

Similarly, REK’s founder Liv posted a video last year of one of its robots flailing violently in the lab due to a mistake made by one of the specialists, as Futurism reports. The robot appears to be attempting to break free of its harness, which causes the crane that’s holding it to collapse. Liv was also featured walking one of REK’s robots at Sutter and Polk streets last year.

Liv told the Chronicle that REK’s humanoids are best used for entertainment purposes, making the Van Ness location ideal for hosting demos and events.

The Chronicle notes that REK's new lease in Nob Hill signals that robotics research and development is a growing industry in San Francisco — for better or worse, depending on who you ask.

Related: Viral Video of Dancing Robot Going Nuts In Restaurant Was From Cupertino

Image: The REK staff with Jamie Hyneman of 'Robot Wars' and 'Mythbusters' fame; REK/Facebook