Sony’s AI division has unveiled Ace, the world’s first robot capable of defeating top-ranked human table tennis players while strictly following the official rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
While robots like Omron’s FOREPHUS, which competed against amateur players at CES 2017, have existed for decades, Ace represents a breakthrough. Unlike its predecessors, Ace can hold its own against elite human competitors and even secure victories in matches governed by ITTF regulations.
Artificial intelligence has already surpassed humans in strategy-based games like Chess and Go, but physical sports present a far greater challenge. Robots must not only process decisions rapidly but also match the speed, reflexes, and adaptability of the human body. Ace’s development addresses these complexities, demonstrating a new frontier in AI-driven robotics.
The robot’s ability to compete under official rules underscores the rapid advancements in AI and robotics, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world athletic performance.
Related articles
Google Expands Spam Policy to Target AI Manipulation in Search Results
Google updated its spam policy to mark attempts to "manipulate" its AI model in search results as spam, including results in AI Overview or AI Mode in...
Engadget Podcast Explores Android 17 Features and Google Books Alternatives
We also dive into all the new features in Android 17.
UK Tax Authority Deploys AI to Combat Fraud with Human Oversight
Human staff members will still check the AI's findings.
AI-Generated Citations Flood Academic Papers, Raising Concerns Among Researchers
Last summer, Peter Degen's postdoctoral supervisor came to him with an unusual problem: One of his papers was being cited too much. Citations are the...
Anthropic’s Claude Code: No Long-Term Roadmap, Focus on Model Improvements and Developer Feedback
SAN FRANCISCO—Amid an ever-expanding array of surfaces, growing demand for tokens and compute, and a rapidly evolving user base, Anthropic doesn't hav...
xAI Unveils Grok Build: New AI Coding Agent in Early Beta for Elite Users
It's in early beta and only available to SuperGrok Heavy subscribers right now.
Musk vs. Altman Trial: Closing Arguments Reveal Legal Missteps and Evidence Mount
Today was closing arguments in the Musk v. Altman trial, and I almost feel bad writing about the unbelievable demolition derby I just witnessed. Steve...
Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses Now Support Gesture-Based Messaging in WhatsApp, Messenger, and More
Meta is rolling out new features to its Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses, including bringing the ability to write messages just with hand gestures t...