Chinese CEO kicked over by humanoid T800 robot in simulated battle as company seek to make point

If you’ve ever wondered how close we are to getting terminator robots, just watch the EngineAi CEO willingly get flattened by his own T800 robot.

In a bold bit of marketing theatre, the Chinese robotics firm staged a ‘simulated battle’, where its humanoid machine delivers a very real-looking kick to its boss.

The clip spread fast, partly because it looks outrageous, and partly because it was designed to answer a lingering accusation.

For EngineAi, this was a way to show the world that they mean business.

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Many thought the robot was too advanced to be real

The context matters.

Over the past year, EngineAi has shared a string of slick robot demos showing its humanoids sprinting, sparring, and moving with uncanny fluidity.

Those videos were heavily edited with plenty of video effects, and shot from selective angles.

Inevitably, skeptics cried foul, suggesting the robots were either assisted by wires, selectively composited, or outright CGI creations dressed up as hardware.

After all, the Tesla Optimus robot recently showed off its best movement yet, and it was merely a light jog.

In response to this, the company decided to settle the debate the old-fashioned way: by putting a human body on the line.

In the new video, the EngineAI CEO steps into a staged combat scenario with the T800 robot.

There’s no cinematic lighting or rapid-fire cuts this time; just a wide, continuous view.

After a brief exchange, the robot launches a forceful kick that sends the EngineAi CEO tumbling backward onto the mat.

He pops back up shortly afterward, uninjured but visibly winded, grinning as if to say, ‘Yes, that really happened’.

The message is clear: CGI can’t knock your boss over.

EngineAi framed the stunt as proof of the robot’s balance, power, and real-world physics, emphasizing that the motion, timing, and impact were all captured in-camera.

Whether it convinces every skeptic out there is another matter, but suffice to say, it has probably changed at least a few minds.

And given that China built more robots in a year than America did in a decade, it shouldn’t be that surprising that progress comes quickly.

The T800 robot has some people worried

Then there’s the name.

Calling a humanoid fighter ‘T800’ inevitably triggers memories of Terminator cyborgs drop-kicking humans through plate-glass windows.

Some viewers found the reference hilarious; others were less amused, pointing out that letting a robot named after a movie killer assault a human (even if it was consensual) isn’t the most comforting image.

The company insists the moment was carefully controlled, but the internet’s mixed reaction says as much about our sci-fi baggage as it does about robotics progress.

One thing’s certain: if the goal was to get people talking, the robot’s kick landed perfectly.

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