Sports

Punching robot designed for mixed martial arts training

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The RXT-1 is currently on Kickstarter
Stryk
Pictured here free-standing, the RXT-1 can be mounted on a wall using four screws
Stryk
The RXT-1 is currently on Kickstarter
Stryk

While many fighters train with a punching bag, it's not really a fair fight – after all, the bag can't punch back. Stryk's new RXT-1 training robot, however, does exactly that.

The device was invented by mixed martial arts fighter Brent Verdialez, after a wrist injury caused him to seek out a lower-impact alternative to sparring with another person.

His creation mounts on a wall, has 12 inches (30.5 cm) of height adjustability once installed, and is plugged into an electrical outlet. It has four foam-padded arms that swing in at the user, at speeds of up to 40 mph (64 km/h). The RXT-1 also features a padded spring-loaded head target on which the user tries to land punches – a torso target is available as an optional extra.

Pictured here free-standing, the RXT-1 can be mounted on a wall using four screws
Stryk

Utilizing a built-in 4.5-inch touchscreen, it's possible to select between three training modes (Practise, Spar and Combination) and three levels of intensity. The screen can also be used to set and track parameters like round count, round time, and rest intervals.

Should you be interested, the RXT-1 is presently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. Assuming the funding goal is met, a pledge of US$699 will get you one – that's 40 percent off the planned retail price. It can be seen in action, in the video below.

And no, this isn't the only fight-training robot we've seen. There was the Punching Pro, which never reached production, along with the BotBoxer, which tries to evade the user's punches.

Source: Kickstarter, Stryk

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3 comments
Username
This provides great training to face four limbed aliens who might have an eye on our planet!
ljaques
That's a pretty cool robot. Looks like it might be well worth the modest price. I wish 'em well.

P.S: Anyone see the movie The Da Vinci Code? Oh, folks in Opus Dei are going to love this item.
ReservoirPup
Great machine! But the touch screen doesn't belong to that place as even a pro might hit that spot occasionally. When boxing will be banned from public space In 50-100 years, the offspring of this machine will be a real fun.