Watch: Robot nails bowling in computer-generated clip
What's the story
Over the last few days, a short clip of an awesome 'bowling robot' has been doing the rounds on the internet. The machine is seen nailing a super-fast throw in the video, which has raked in millions of views. But, the interesting bit is, it is not just the bot that makes this video unique. There is more to it.
Video
Impeccable, accurate bowling seen in the video
In the video, the robotic arm picks up the ball and rolls in a circular motion to throw it with full force. The delivery goes way faster than a normal throw and knocks down all 10 pins in one go - something that is rare to see from a machine. This made the video go viral, raking over 16 million views and 70,000 retweets.
Twitter Post
Here's the video
BowlBot 5000 #cinema4d #octanerender #3d #rendering3d #aftereffects #3drendering #3drender #c4d #c4dart #digitalart #robot #3dart #compositing #cgi #animation #3danimation #render #surreal42 #motiongraphics #howiseedatworld #mdcommunity #mograph #mgcollective #dailyrender pic.twitter.com/iVbvfED80R
— Tom Coben (@TomCoben) July 3, 2019
Fact
However, this bot doesn't exist at all
While seeing the bowling bot in action is amazing, the fact is that it doesn't exist at all in the real world. When people were left awestruck by the video, they started sharing it as a real product. This prompted the original sharer of the clip, Tom Coben, to reveal that the video and its contents are part of a computer-generated render.
Other videos
Coben has made some pretty interesting clips
Coben created this video as part of his work in motion graphics, CGI, and VFX. He maintains a site where you can find all his renders, including this particular video as well as one showcasing a similar bot hitting baseballs with a bat. Notably, Coben has also started the hashtag #notreal to make sure that people know that the clips he shares aren't real.
Information
This shows how far CGI has come
Coben's work is a reminder of the fact that people now use the technology to produce flawless videos that one doesn't even realize they are fake. His intentions were right but, with deepfake AI growing, it's not hard to imagine the case of potential misuse.