Sony Develops Table Tennis Robot Capable of Defeating Professional Players

^{Pictured: table tennis player Mayuka Taira during a match with the Ace robot}

Sony has developed an autonomous table tennis robot called Ace, capable of competing with high-level players and defeating them in some matches, Reuters reported.

The developers said this marks the first time a robot has reached expert level in a competitive sport requiring rapid decision-making and precise real-time execution.

Robots for table tennis have been developed since the 1980s, but they have not been able to compete on equal terms with strong opponents. Ace demonstrated such capabilities in matches conducted under the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation and officiated by licensed referees.

Ace uses nine synchronised cameras and three computer vision systems to track the ball with high accuracy. The data are processed by artificial intelligence algorithms. The robot is equipped with a mechanism featuring eight movable axes: three control the position of the racket, two its orientation, and three the force and speed of shots.

Ace won three of five matches against high-level players but lost two to professionals. In subsequent tests, however, the robot was able to defeat professional-level players.

Professional table tennis player Mayuka Taira, who lost to Ace in one of the matches, said the robot’s play is difficult to predict because it shows no emotion and offers no cues about its weaknesses.

Sony said the technologies used in Ace could be applied beyond sport, including in industry and service robotics, where rapid response and precise interaction with the environment are required.

Gambling Park previously reported on an experiment by U.S. researchers in which participants used a VR casino to smash slot machines as part of a study.