I don't think I care about human vs robot play. It seems pointless when machines have ultra high speed reaction and perfect play.
.. but.. I would like to see robot vs robot ping pong competitions. I feel like at a certain level, you'd have to watch it from behind a protective barrier.
58
KaiAusBerlin3 days ago
+10
Also a robot specialized on a certain sport is obviously good at it.
Try to let the same robot compete in monopoly and we will see who's superior ;)
10
SeminarSoul3 days ago
+4
yes but the interesting thing here is it actually adapted in real time. It wasn't just pre-programmed moves
4
KaiAusBerlin3 days ago
+3
Well, it wasn't out if nothing.
3
Dry_Departure_78131 day ago
+1
Bet I'd smoke it in the 100 meters too
1
TinglingLingerer3 days ago
+6
I'd bet folks would just have to wear protective glasses.
A ping pong ball weighs 2.7 grams (.0027kg)
Force required to break a human ulna is ~4,000 Newton's.
F = m * a
4000 = .0027 * a
a = ~ 1,481,481.481m/s^2
To have an acceleration of ~1.5million m/s^2, assuming the ping pong ball hits the flat of your arm, nearest to the bone, for maximum damage, would have to have an impact of ~.001 second.
v = a * t
v = 1481.481 m/s (~3300 miles / hour)
The ball would have to break the speed of sound a couple times over to have any sort of lasting damage to an extremity.
6
Ill_General_66083 days ago
+6
Counterpoint, the paddle ways considerably more and I can imagine a world where a slippery robot hand lets one slip during a 200kph swing.
or just, like, a whole arm swinging off
6
Ippzz3 days ago
+3
I'm with you on that. Actually, I would much prefer if the robots had certain constraints that would help humans improve. A bit like what happened in chess or Go. Yes they could calculate all the moves if given the time and ressources but that's exactly the constraints they got and we're still able to find their ways.
3
ghostwaterdross2 days ago
+2
> Ace is equipped with an eight-jointed arm and uses multiple cameras positioned around the table to track the ball's high-speed movement
They kinda went in the other direction. The advantages are so stacked you can't really call this a competition.
2
Bitter_Nail85773 days ago
+1
Pretty much like comparing how good and fast two cars are, great for amusement and for business
1
lorkanooo2 days ago
+1
Definitely doesn't matter yeah, I mean just look at chess. Very popular despite humans no longer winning with computers. People just find watching computers play really boring, doesn't matter if they are better
1
Nicholas-Steel3 days ago
+17
Looks and moves nothing like a human player, which these pro athletes train against so no surprise.
17
jackcatalyst3 days ago
+24
A wall could beat elite table tennis players
24
tarosan_sk3 days ago
+11
That is the best kind of true.
11
nicuramar1 day ago
+1
The false kind.
1
tarosan_sk1 day ago
+2
Wall doesn’t get tired. Wall doesn’t get hungry. Wall doesn’t need a piss. You can’t beat a wall forever.
2
nicuramar1 day ago
No, because if the ball bounces twice, the wall loses. This would be trivial.
0
YoghurtOverall80623 days ago
+24
"A.I." is doing some very heavy lifting here. Not to discredit the tech behind it (I guess?) But its not like its f****** sentiently playing ping pong, its just programmed to track and hit a ball.
24
Waste_Jello99473 days ago
+10
"Bulldozer beats man at weightlifting."
10
Xeiom3 days ago
+6
I know this isn't how it works but every time I read a headline about a robot doing some silly sport I always imagine it as a tradeoff against something more impressive.
"Ok so and with that we'll commence development on our cancer curing table tennis playing robot!"
"Hmm, this timeline looks a little tight, we're going to have to cut one of the features"
"Ok, reading you loud and clear!"
6
pablo_in_blood3 days ago
+6
Who cares. Of course robots will win sports if they’re built to win sports. They already cracked chess and all that.
6
valadian3 days ago
+3
It's just a robot. there is no "AI". just math. inverse kinematics, and low latency ball tracking and projection. "move paddle where ball going"
3
Amstervince3 days ago
+1
That shouldnt work against elite players though. They can give it so much spin moving the paddel to block isnt enough
1
valadian2 days ago
+1
yes, you can predict ball spin by tracking player arm movement. this isn't that complicated. It definitely isn't "AI". there is no high level thinking/problem solving involved.
1
Seamnstr3 days ago
+1
It's similar to an AI opponent in video games where all it does is apply some maximizing function and pick the move. If it's deciding which direction to move in, how fast, what angle etc, it's AI.
1
faximusy3 days ago
+1
It is based on controllers and precomputed mathematical functions built with the help of Laplace transforms.
1
Hot-Employ-33993 days ago
Yeah but it's not a video game. When ai is in video game it's ai but do the same irl and it's not ai because I'm stupid and suddenly demand sentience. Makes sense /s
0
Ashamed-Date-77473 days ago
+2
So?
2
Hodr3 days ago
+1
Suspiscious
1
BountyMakesMeCough3 days ago
+1
No legs!
1
Perfekt_Flaw2 days ago
+1
I’ll be impressed when it’s a humanoid robot doing it.
1
splitfinity2 days ago
+1
Looks like they are being restricted on how hard they can play. This robot isn’t beating elite players playing at elite levels
1
cyberianscribe3 days ago
-3
The knowledge gained here might serve as a solid basis which can be extended to develop a robot that can swing a sword or knife (instead of a paddle) or possibly a bare hand (which can be used for grappling, striking, blocking etc). And, a robot could have multiple limbs with the same capabilities.
-3
YoghurtOverall80623 days ago
+2
Dont go giving them any ideas
2
Ahelex3 days ago
+2
Nah, all we need is a Jedi Master to solve that problem.
2
cyberianscribe3 days ago
What about turning it into a Teppanyaki or Sushi chef?
Alternatively, a scaled down version could be used for vermin control - Why should cats have all the fun?
40 Comments