It’s inevitable, man and machine battling it out. We created these monsters and now they’ve acquired the skills to kick human ass in ……ping pong? Thankfully, we’ve got years before these battles occur with actual weapons. For now it’s all fun and games. This clash occurred between Kuka KR Agilus and German table tennis superstar, Timo Boll.
The match between the robot and man is a directed and scripted advertisement with multiple takes of the table tennis action. This promotional video showcases the agility and speed of the Kuka Robot which is intended for picking and packing in an industrial environment thanks to the dexterity of its arm.
The Duel: Kuka Robot vs. Timo Boll
Timo Boll has won several championships around the world in table tennis and is very well-known in China for his ping pong skills. Because of his celebrity-like status in China, Timo Boll was chosen to be an ambassador for the German robotic firm which celebrated its grand opening of a new plant in Shanghai.
Making of The Duel
The video looks to be heavily edited and probably broke a lot of the ITTF rules but who cares. As you can see in the video, the Kuka robot is doing quite well against the champion until Boll realizes the robot doesn’t do so well with net calls, awkward bounces, and trick shots.
If the Kuka robot can do a task it wasn’t intended for so well, imagine how well it packages in an industrial environment. The video has also helped promote the sport of table tennis worldwide.
Bonus Video
If you thought that was pretty cool, you should also check out this video of quadcopters juggling some balls. The next 20-30 years in robotics should be very interesting.
