Ping-Pong Robot Makes History By Beating Top-Level Human Players
Source: Slashdot
Introduction
Sony AI’s autonomous table‑tennis robot Ace has become the first robot to compete against top‑level human players. Reuters reported that Ace, created by Sony’s AI research division, is the first robot to attain expert‑level performance in a competitive physical sport that requires rapid decisions and precision execution.
How Ace Works
Ace achieves its performance through a combination of:
- High‑speed perception
- AI‑based control
- A state‑of‑the‑art robotic system
Previous ping‑pong‑playing robots (since 1983) could not rival highly skilled human competitors. Ace changed that by playing matches that followed the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rules and were officiated by licensed umpires.
Project Goals
The project aims not only to compete in table tennis but also to develop insights into how robots can perceive, plan, and act with human‑like speed and precision in dynamic environments.
Match Results
- April 2025: Ace won 3 out of 5 matches against elite players and lost two matches against professional players (the highest skill level).
- December 2025: Ace beat professional players again.
- Recent (May 2026): Ace achieved another victory over professional opponents.
Peter Durr, director of Sony AI Zurich and leader of the Ace project, said:
“The success of Ace, with its perception system and learning‑based control algorithm, suggests that similar techniques could be applied to other areas requiring fast, real‑time control and human interaction — such as manufacturing and service robotics, as well as applications across sports, entertainment and safety‑critical physical domains.”
Publication
The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.