MIT unveils table tennis playing robot with 88% accuracy, 42 mph shot speed

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a table tennis-playing robot that boasts 88% accuracy and a 42 mph (about 68 km/h) shot speed.

The robot that demonstrates impressive performance is able to return shots with various spins with an 88% success rate, which is comparable to that of human players.

MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) created the robot, which tracks the ball and reacts in real time using sophisticated motion planning, computer vision, and machine learning.

READ ALSO: Burna Boy, Tems, Ayra Starr, Rema, Shallipopi, others bag BET 2025 nominations

The strike speed of the robot, which is intended to not only test human players but also help with training by varying shot types and difficulty, is faster than any prior table tennis robot and approaches the return speeds of elite human players.

According to the robot’s developers, this system is more than simply a game because they intend to apply it in future robotic training systems and increase the robot’s range.

But the technology also has broader implications. “The problems that we’re solving, specifically related to intercepting objects really quickly and precisely, could potentially be useful in scenarios where a robot has to carry out dynamic maneuvers and plan where its end effector will meet an object in real time,” said MIT graduate student David Nguyen.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now