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Robot 'Ace' Challenges Elite Table Tennis Players
🇸🇪 Sweden /Technology

Robot 'Ace' Challenges Elite Table Tennis Players

From Dagens Nyheter · (1d ago) Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Sony's AI robot, "Ace," developed for table tennis, can match elite players with its rapid directional changes and ball trajectory analysis.
  • "Ace" defeated three out of five professional players but lost to the top two, demonstrating advanced AI capabilities in sports.
  • The robot analyzes ball movement in microseconds and was trained on 3,000 hours of recorded matches, showcasing significant progress in AI's ability to process complex game dynamics.

Sony's AI robot, "Ace," is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence in the world of elite table tennis. Developed by Sony, "Ace" has demonstrated an impressive ability to compete against top-tier players, showcasing rapid directional changes and sophisticated ball trajectory analysis to return shots with remarkable accuracy.

Ace has become even better since the project concluded

— Peter DürrSony's AI program chief commenting on the robot's continued improvement.

In official matches, "Ace" proved its mettle by defeating three out of five professional players. While it ultimately fell short against the two highest-ranked professionals, its performance highlights the rapid advancements in AI technology. The robot's capacity to read the ball's spin and speed in mere microseconds allows it to adapt its return shots, making it a formidable opponent.

"Ace" was trained using data from 3,000 hours of recorded table tennis matches, enabling it to learn and adapt to various types of shots, including spins, drops, and smashes. Researchers published a report on "Ace" in the scientific journal Nature, with Sony's AI program chief, Peter Dürr, noting that the robot has continued to improve since the project's conclusion. This development underscores the potential for AI to not only analyze but also excel in complex, fast-paced sports.

We played against stronger and stronger players and beat stronger and stronger players

— Peter DürrDescribing the progression of 'Ace's' performance during development.

Players who faced "Ace" noted its uncanny ability to return even highly spun serves with equally advanced spin, posing a significant challenge. However, they also discovered tactics to counter the AI, such as using simpler serves to elicit weaker returns, which could then be exploited. The absence of visual cues like eyes or body language in "Ace" also adds to its enigmatic nature, making it difficult for opponents to anticipate its next move. This fusion of AI and sport represents a fascinating frontier in technological development.

If I used a serve with advanced spin, Ace also returned the ball with advanced spin, which made it difficult for me

— Rui TakenakaAn elite player describing the challenge of playing against 'Ace'.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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