Batman has many skills, but if there’s one thing he’s known for above all else, it’s hand-to-hand combat. The comics say he has mastered 127 different fighting styles – a heroic feat for sure, and one that would take an army of sparring partners to practice with.
Having a living, thinking person to spar against is what converts theory to reality. It’s what transfers the motions into automatic muscle-memory.
When a target can hit back, it completely changes the way your mind and body respond.
What’s the next best thing to a human sparring partner? A robotic one, of course.
The STRYK RTX-1 is an in-home fight coach that uses a unique design and innovative software to help anyone improve their fighting skills.

A personal gym that fights back
There’s a lot of home gym equipment out there, but none of it is quite like this. Once set up, four padded robotic arms swing forward at speeds up to 40mph and attempt to pummel the human opponent. It’s up to you to block, dodge and jab to defend yourself from the foam onslaught.
The RXT-1 mounts on the wall, taking up zero floor space and is height adjustable. A head target is attached to an automotive-grade spring and is built to take a beating, along with an optional torso target below.
Three fight modes center on teaching different aspects of fighting, including defense, reflexes and hand-eye coordination.

While the machine might look like a flailing tentacle monster at first, here’s something to keep in mind. The RXT-1 isn’t designed to actually wallop you, but teach you to react. Each swing of its arm trains your eye-hand coordination, speed, and agility all while getting a very engaging cardio workout.
How intense is the workout?
Very. At 800 calories an hour, boxing burns more calories than any other sport.

Features of the RXT-1
To control the training modes and other preferences, users can tap the 4.5” touchscreen located on the chest.
- Practice Mode — or “learn mode” strikes at the user in a consistent pattern every two seconds, which allows you to drill counters, dodges, and defense tactics as well as offense.
- Spar Mode — has 3 intensity levels to test your speed and improve reactions, while also getting an intense cardio workout. This is perfect for anyone who wants to train quick slips, rolls, and your best defense techniques.
- Combination Mode — is like your own personal striking trainer. It has over 100 preset combinations and allows users to strike the arm pads as they would focus mitts. This trains the user’s hand-eye coordination, speed, agility, and cardio.

How to buy the STRYK RXT-1
The RTX-1 was certainly launched at the right time. Between pandemic-related gym closures and some general… pent-up energy, the product raised over $180,000 through crowdfunding. Early bird RTX-1s can currently be ordered through their website.
The estimated shipping is February 2021.
To see the robotic sparring in action check out STRYK’s Instagram page.