Robot strikes back: badminton duel between man and machine!

Robot strikes back: badminton duel between man and machine!

Shanghai, China - In 2014, a video caused a sensation that announced a duel between the renowned table tennis player Timo Boll . The spectators expected a spectacular livematch, but Kuka had only a strongly edited video presented that raised questions about the authenticity of the rallies. Nevertheless, a lot has happened in robotics since then, as a current demonstration video shows in which a robot impresses with a layperson when playing in badge.

The video shows that the robot, developed by a team around Yuntao Ma from ETH Zurich, is performing a rallies with ten consecutive strokes. Similar to a person, the robot uses a stereo camera to perceive its surroundings and does not require external sensors to determine the ball position. But this progress also brings challenges. The robot has difficulty assessing the exact position of the badmintola, which leads to a need for solutions.

technological progress in robotics

Two approaches were developed for the challenges of the robot: First, an active perception in which the robot moves to keep an eye on the badminth. On the other hand, a learning algorithm is used, which compares the estimates of the robot with the actual positions through simulations. In addition, the aerodynamics of the shuttlec also calculate in order to derive the trajectory exactly. If the ball flys outside its reach, the robot can even switch to two legs to keep stability and move independently on the field.

The skills that the robot demonstrates are promising. It shows that robots with legs are increasingly being used for complex tasks, such as playing shuttle or table tennis. Kuka, the manufacturer of the robot in question, has specialized in the robot -based automation in production and plans to produce more than 3,000 robots for the Asian market in Shanghai every year. The company is considered a leader in the area of ​​robotics and plant construction.

Kuka and Timo Boll: a partnership

Timo Boll, who is considered one of the best table tennis players in the world, has been a brand ambassador for Kuka since February 2025. At the opening of the Kuka plant in Shanghai, Boll competed in a duel against the KUKA robot Kr Agilus, the result of which can be seen in the video. Boll commented positively about the collaboration and emphasized that the campaign with Kuka puts the table tennis sport into conversation. KUKA robots are described as fast, agile, precise and reliable.

The connection between robotics and sport also raises relevant questions regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Technologies for pattern recognition that are crucial for the performance of robots have to revolutionize the potential, not only sport, but also other areas such as medicine, transport and science. AI improves learning and adapts individually to the needs of the users, which becomes clearer through adaptive learning systems and intelligent tutors. On the political stage, it leads to optimized analysis and election prognosis options and thus has an impact on society.

Overall, it shows that robots play an increasingly important role in different areas of life. The developments at Kuka and the partnership with Timo Boll are examples of this trend and illustrate the transformative potential of robotics in sport and beyond.