With their metallic frames gleaming under the arena lights, the robots square off in a high-energy boxing match.

It's not quite Terminator, but there are jabs and kicks, dodges and counters - and a tumble to the floor.

Just like a human fight, there can only be one winner, and it's the red corner whose arm is raised in victory.

This is not in a boxing gym, but at the World Robot Expo which kicked off last week in Beijing, China.

The robot boxers are from Unitree, one of China’s leading humanoid robot manufacturers.

The expo is part of the World Robot Conference sponsored by the Chinese government, aiming to highlight its advancements and the leading position robotics and AI.

More than 100 robotic companies, mostly from China, are showcasing their latest technologies and products during the four-day expo.

“I think the robotics industry is definitely a sunrise industry of the future,” says Song He, a visitor who works in the investment industry, after watching the robots boxing games.

“The commercial value of the industry should be highly recognised, and I think investing in robots is never too late,” he adds.

EngineAI, a robotic company from south China’s city of Shenzhen, has brought bipedal walking robots with dynamic balance control.

They can be adapted to various complex environments, according to the company.

Yao Qiyuan, co-founder and marketing director of EngineAI, says his company is focused on providing open source robotic bodies with high motion abilities for redevelopment in various ecosystems.

“We will continuously integrate them with various application landscapes to make their brains work better,” he says.

The key is sensors that allow them to perceive their environment and act accordingly.

“For example, he can see a stool, walk over and sit down on his own, etc,” says Yao.

"All these motions are constantly breaking through the boundaries of this robot. Through these perception algorithms and sensors, it can better understand how the world operates."

Lifelike robots are more and more used in robots for elderly care, as receptionists or even actor and actresses.

“You need to have an emotional value interaction with people, because robots are not just functional products, and they may gradually have some human warmth,” NEOTIX CFO Han Shenren says.

Cool or creepy? Either way, robots are becoming more and more human every day.