Sony’s table tennis robot made me think about what happens when AI gets a body
Sony's table tennis robot, Ace, won several matches against elite players and professionals under official competition rules, demonstrating its ability to read motion, predict, and act quickly. The robot's performance highlights the challenges and opportunities of AI in real-world robotics, where timing and adaptability are crucial.
Sony's table tennis robot, Ace, has won several matches against elite players and professionals under official competition rules. The robot's system faces the challenge of seeing, predicting, and acting quickly, as the ball is small, fast, and spinning. Ace wasn't just hitting the ball back; it was reading motion, making a prediction, and moving before the rally escaped it. The International Federation of Robotics reports that 542,000 industrial robots were installed in 2024, more than double the figure from a decade earlier. The broader robotics market is moving beyond demos, with robots needing to handle variation and adapt to real-world conditions. McKinsey estimates that today's technology could theoretically automate activities accounting for about 57% of current US work hours, potentially redesigning roles and tasks.
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