During the 2026 World Robot Conference (WRC 2026), Engine AI founder and CEO Zhao Tongyang addressed the viral video showing its T800 robot kicking another unit over, clarifying that the incident was not staged.

"The robot really has evolved to this point. I wanted to test just how much force it could generate, and as you can see in the video, it was able to kick the other unit clean off its feet," Zhao told reporters, including Sina Tech, on the sidelines of the event on August 21.

He further noted that in the current URKL competition, the vast majority of robot movements are executed autonomously, with human intervention only occurring in unexpected situations such as falls or visual tracking errors that require rapid correction.

During the exchange, Zhao also shared Engine AI's broader ambitions, emphasizing that the company aims to develop not only exceptional hardware but also advanced intelligence. "We want to achieve the agility and responsiveness seen in 'Transformers' - the ability to adjust movements mid-air while performing flips and other dynamic maneuvers," he explained.