Sony's AI robot beats elite table tennis players
What's the story
Sony AI's robotic system, Ace, has managed to beat elite table tennis players in a major breakthrough for robotics. The machine won three out of five matches against top-tier players but lost two against professionals. This feat is considered a major milestone in the field of robotics, especially since table tennis has always been viewed as one of the toughest tests for technological advancement.
Robotic prowess
Ace's impressive command of spin
In the matches played under official competition rules, Ace showed an impressive command of spin and handled difficult shots like balls catching on the net. The robot even executed a rapid backspin shot that was previously thought impossible by a professional player. Peter Durr, project lead for Ace, said "We played stronger and stronger players and we beat stronger and stronger players."
Robotic design
How Ace works
Ace is designed with an eight-jointed arm on a movable base, which helps it sidestep some tricky aspects of table tennis. Instead of two eyes, the robot uses multiple cameras to view the entire court and track the position and spin of the ball. This camera system can estimate the ball's spin and axis of rotation in milliseconds by zooming in on its logo.
Robotic growth
The beginning of the journey
Ace wasn't a table tennis pro from the start. It had trouble facing slow balls with minimal spin but excelled at tricky shots like when the ball catches on the net. Elite player Rui Takenaka said "If I used a serve with complex spin, Ace also returned the ball with complex spin, which made it difficult for me."
Robotic challenge
A game-changer in robotics
When Ace played an unusual shot, intercepting the ball early and imparting backspin, former Olympic table tennis player Kinjiro Nakamura said he didn't think it was possible. He now believes that humans could learn the shot. One major challenge in playing against Ace is that the robot has no eyes to look into or body language to read, which makes predict its moves difficult.