GOOGLE's AI company DeepMind has unveiled a paddle-wielding robot that can beat humans at table tennis in 13 out of 29 matches.
That's a rate of almost half of all games.
2
2
DeepMind has claimed that it is the first time a robot has been taught to play a sport with people on a human level.
The robot, which only has amateur-level table tennis ability, represents advances in making AI-powered robots more skilled.
He beat every entry-level human opponent he faced and 55% of those playing at the amateur level.
Although he still can not challenge a professional player.
That said, it could still be used as a human playmate.
MIT Technology Review noted that human players who played against the robot actually enjoyed the matches.
They said it was an engaging challenge that could help elevate their games as a practice partner.
Artificial intelligence explained
Here's what you need to know
- Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is a type of computer software
- A computer will usually do what you tell it to do
- But artificial intelligence simulates the human mind and can make its own deductions, inferences or decisions
- A simple computer can let you set an alarm to wake you up
- But an AI system can scan your emails, check that you have a meeting tomorrow, and then set an alarm and plan a trip for you.
- AI technology is often “trained,” meaning it observes something (potentially even a human) and then learns about a task over time.
- For example, an AI system can be fed thousands of photos of human faces and then generate photos of human faces on its own.
- Some experts have raised concerns that humans will eventually lose control of super-intelligent AI
- But the tech world is still divided over whether AI technology will kill us all in a Terminator-style apocalypse.
“Even a few months ago, we projected that, realistically, the robot might not be able to win against people it hasn't played before,” said Pannag Sanketi, a Google DeepMind software engineer who led the project.
“The system certainly exceeded our expectations.
“The way the robot outmaneuvered even strong opponents was mind-blowing.”
After seeing the robots' skills, viewers have been clamoring for a Robot Olympics, where the world's best humanoids, quadrupeds and mechanical arms go head-to-head.
“I'd love to see a Robot Olympics, where the best engineering teams compete to build athletic robots and win a gold medal at the end,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
While another dubbed DeepMind's robot a “future Olympian.”
There are many use cases for bots.
Several companies aim to have robots help humans in homes and warehouses.
Or the new one The factory humanoid, called Figure O2, who has been “brought to life” by BMW to help build cars.
Google's robot, which is currently just a mechanical arm, uses a pair of cameras to track the ball and motion capture technology to track its opponent's movements.
It then feeds all the information it gains during matches into other simulations, so it can constantly improve its tactics; that way it can improve with each game, just like a human.
However, as shown in the video, the robot dropped the ball when it came to quick shots, as well as low balls and near the edge of the table.
Read more about Artificial Intelligence
Everything you need to know about the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence
English 
Español de Venezuela 