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Robot Dominates Air Hockey, Adapts To Opponents' Playing Style

Posted by timothy on from the bet-on-the-robot-kid dept.

colinneagle writes "Researchers at Chiba University in Japan have developed a robot that could frustrate teenagers worldwide with its impressive air hockey skills. What's remarkable about this air hockey-playing robot, which is not the first of its kind, is that it can sense human opponents' playing styles and adapt to defend against them. The key is how the computer controlling the robot views its opponent — at a speed of 500 frames per second. From there, the robot uses a three-layer control system to determine motion control, when it should hit the puck, defend its goal or stay still, and a third that determines how it should react to its opponent's playing style."

6 of 49 comments (clear)

  1. Robotic Pong by sidevans · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's only 41 years late...

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  2. Robot vs Robot! by hedley · · Score: 3, Interesting

    3... 2... 1.. Fight!

    1. Re:Robot vs Robot! by c0lo · · Score: 4, Funny

      3... 2... 1.. Fight!

      (sound of crickets in the background: each of the robots waits the other's action to have something to react to).

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      Questions raise, answers kill. Raise questions to stay alive.
  3. Re:looks like it blocks if it would go to the hole by mwvdlee · · Score: 4, Funny

    To loosely paraphrase: Any sufficiently advanced AI would be indistinguishable from cheating.

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  4. Re:looks like it blocks if it would go to the hole by simonbp · · Score: 5, Funny

    The next challenge is a robot that drunkenly argues about the rules for three hours after just 10 minute of gameplay.

  5. Re:looks like it blocks if it would go to the hole by dubdays · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, sounds like fun...a robot that whips my ass at air hockey every single time. What will they come up with next? A robot that chases me down with nunchucks and just beats the shit out of me? Woo hoo!