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[E-Cat]

Timo Boll vs. KUKA robot - Teaser

In this man vs. machine table tennis match, who will be victorious? The battle begins NOW as ping-pong champion Timo Boll is facing KUKA's KR AGILUS robot at the ping-pong table.

Watch the stunning videoproduction on March 11th 2014 at www.kuka-timoboll.com to find out who is the winner.

Timo Boll, the German table tennis star, is the new brand ambassador for KUKA Robotics in China. The collaboration celebrates the inherent speed, precision, and flexibility of KUKA's industrial robots in tandem with Boll's electrifying and tactical prowess in competition.

To celebrate the new KUKA Robotics factory in Shanghai, the thrilling video will be a highlight at the Grand Opening on March 11th, 2014.

It's fascinating to track how AI/robotics is constantly nibbling away at the human lead in various fields. As recent examples, there's IBM's Watson, Google's self-driving cars, and the robots by Boston Dynamics. These early harbingers will make you realize, on a visceral level, that we're entering the last century with humans in control. It's both scary and awesome at the same time. Things should really start to get crazy in about 20 years or so.

 

[ChubbyHuggs]

First noodle shops and now this!

 

[Witchfinder General]

Easy way to beat it:

 

[crimsonheadGCN]

I am cheering for KUKA. It's time that humans learn their place in the robotic future.

 

[Partial Gamification]

I am cheering for KUKA. It's time that humans learn their place in the robotic future.

Build and code or lose.

Part of me hopes for a malfunction but it should be an interesting event. I wonder how long it will be until somone tries to draft a robot player or its written into the rules that players must be completely human. Performance enhancing drugs and cyborgs would will make a hell of a sport.

 

[Sword Familiar]

I'm not particularly interested in sports, but this I'd like to see.

 

[LiK]

Hah, this looks cool.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

Robots will destroy us all!!!

Or... this is just a robotic arm performing as it was programmed.

 

[IISANDERII]

Build and code or lose.

Part of me hopes for a malfunction but it should be an interesting event. I wonder how long it will be until somone tries to draft a robot player or its written into the rules that players must be completely human. Performance enhancing drugs and cyborgs would will make a hell of a sport.

When it did that it blew my mind, had no idea machines could perform something so complex outside of mathematics and constructing.

 

[ElbowRocket]

 

[RedShift]

I look forward to Twitch Plays Table Tennis.

 

[E-Cat]

Robots will destroy us all!!!

Or... this is just a robotic arm performing as it was programmed.

Of course, but the impressive part here is, it possesses the speed and agility to adapt to novel sensory inputs to the level where it can (presumably) compete with a table tennis pro.

 

[alatif113]

Forget the human. TWO robots....fight til the death. (by fight i mean table tennis)

 

[Data West]

2 robots vs Bruce Lee and Forrest Gump in a ping pong match

 

[QuicheFontaine]

Oh man, subscribed.

 

[sixteen-bit]

2 robots vs Bruce Lee and Forrest Gump in a ping pong match

My money is on the 2 robots, considering one of those people is dead and the other one is fictional.

 

[AlexMogil]

Or they could build a wall right behind the net. That one is hard to beat.

 

[DoYouEvenLift?]

My guess is that the human kicks the shit out of the robot. I don't think this will even be close.

 

[pj]

My guess is that the human kicks the shit out of the robot. I don't think this will even be close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KxjVlaLBmk#t=155

If the software is decent, the human doesn't stand a chance

 

[Data West]

My money is on the 2 robots, considering one of those people is dead and the other one is fictional.

But robots aren't alive either

 

[DoYouEvenLift?]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KxjVlaLBmk#t=155

If the software is decent, the human doesn't stand a chance

Holy shit.

 

[darkwing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KxjVlaLBmk#t=155

If the software is decent, the human doesn't stand a chance

mindblown the video is from 2009

O_O

 

[Rad-]

Where is the eye(s) on that thing? Or does it use cameras around the place?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-KxjVlaLBmk#t=155

If the software is decent, the human doesn't stand a chance

Future jackoff station.

 

[Epsilon-delta]

mindblown the video is from 2009

O_O

2030 is going to be a crazy period to be alive.

 

[Burger]

KUKA make a version of their robot arm that can swing you around in a bucket seat. Looks horrible/fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9kkeGgZpZI

They also used the same type of arm and strapped a camera on it to film Gravity.

Or a F1 simulator:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMLarxR-q08

 

[fanboi]

Ha... KUKA.

Swedish word "kuk" is dick.

 

[.GqueB.]

If the robot wins we all lose.

 

[rezuth]

Ha... KUKA.

Swedish word "kuk" is dick.

Just about to say that, they really should reconsider

 

[E-Cat]

Ha... KUKA.

Swedish word "kuk" is dick.

And translated to Finnish, kuka means "who".

 

[ActStriker]

I wonder how it reacts to extreme angles.

 

[Jesus Carbomb]

You're gonna be a bad motherfucker.

 

[E-Cat]

I wonder how it reacts to extreme angles.

It seems quite flexible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwupK0ljVWQ#t=40s

 

[methane47]

I wonder how it reacts to extreme angles.

Yes this and also can it respond properly to ridiculous top spin/under spin attacks.

 

[FunkyPajamas]

And translated to Finnish, kuka means "who".

So who was dick?

 

[rasberryjam]

Better start accepting our robot overlords.

Spoiler

GOOGLE

 

[BravestOrphan]

I used kuka's in school, they were pretty cool.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

So, this happens tomorrow.

 

[Skinpop]

When it did that it blew my mind, had no idea machines could perform something so complex outside of mathematics and constructing.

machines don't perform mathematics, they just calculate.

 

[Amir0x]

This day will be remembered. The first strike of robots against man. It begins here.

 

[Kjellson]

Ha... KUKA.

Swedish word "kuk" is dick.

Vs. Boll, lol.

 

[Nemo]

There needs to be a full fledged tennis robot like this

 

[daw840]

OMG....I hope this is live-streamed

 

[Lord Error]

This small robot arm already seems pretty decent at table tennis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imVNg9j7rvU#t=151

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

So how does it pick up the ball to start the next point when it's serving? /nitpicking

Oi ball boooy!

 

[apocalidiot]

Their site is down. I hope this is recorded for later viewing, I would love to see this

 

[Mistake]

Their site is down. I hope this is recorded for later viewing, I would love to see this

The chinese site is still working. Says there is an hour and 30 minutes 'till showdown

 

[Lord Error]

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIIJME8-au8

So the

Spoiler

human

wins, after

Spoiler

learning what the robot's limitations are.

The whole thing seems fake tbh, I don't think there's one scene that shows full back and forth exchange. The ball was pretty clearly CG at times too.

 

[Freaky Fred]

lol that was the most dramatic shit I've ever seen

spoiler:

Spoiler

we're safe for now

 

[xbhaskarx]

My co-workers are obsessed with table tennis... I don't look forward to this dominating all office conversations tomorrow.

 

[Rentahamster]

That was really cool

Kudos to their marketing team. It would have been nice to see a complete set, but I understand why they did it the way they did.

The last scene was pretty cool too.