Sony AI's robotic system, named Ace, has defeated elite table tennis players in three out of five matches played under official competition rules, marking a milestone in robotics. However, the robot lost both matches against professional players, managing only one game in those contests.
The feat is considered a significant step for machines in real-world competitive sports, given the lightning-fast reactions and skill required in table tennis. A research paper on the project was published in Nature on Wednesday, with scientists noting that Ace has improved since the report was submitted.
Ace features an eight-jointed arm on a movable base and uses multiple cameras to track the ball's position and spin from different angles. The robot honed its skills through thousands of hours of simulated games and learned serves from expert players.
Early on, Ace struggled with slow, low-spin balls but excelled at tricky shots like net balls. Elite player Rui Takenaka noted that while Ace handled complex spin well, simple serves made it easier to counter. Former Olympic player Kinjiro Nakamura said Ace's unusual backspin shot was something he had not thought possible for a robot.
Professor Jan Peters of the Technical University of Darmstadt called the project impressive but cautioned that table tennis robots do not solve broader robotics challenges like object manipulation. He predicted a transformative moment in robotics within the next decade.
