Robots take up table tennis

Press, 23 November 1988, Page 53

Robots take up table tennis

By

TONY VERDON,

in London The expertise of the world’s top table tennis players, including the No. • 1 seed, Jian Jialian, is *' under threat from an unlikely source — robots. An international table ■ tennis competition be- , tween robots will be <■ staged at the Edinburgh International Festival of - Science and Technology in April, and already ‘ Toughy, a Swiss robot,,is being quoted as favourite. Toughy, who usually spends his time at the ... centre of a research project into high-speed indus- ■’ trial robotics, is reputed to have a formidable serv--7 ing arm. His main challenge is Charlie, built by Portsmouth Polytechnic for less than $3OO. 1 Charlie’s supporters say i that he lost to Toughy in 1 this year’s championships —in Switzerland only because he was wrongly programmed. He still managed a respectable defeat of 13-21. / However, “The Times” .reports that the festival (organisers are homing a

new Scottish robot could come forward to challenge Toughy’s preeminence and, ultimately, take on the Chinese world champion, Jialiang.

Contestants were already expected from England, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden and West Germany, but the organisers are advertising for a Scottish robot. The successful candidate must be of Scottish origin, have good visual alertness, and be capable of responding rapidly to changing circumstances. The competition aims to demonstrate the remarkable advances being made in the science of robotics.

Robots are now capable of playing table tennis within defined limits, but scientists believe it is only a matter of time before they become unbeatable by humans, perhaps in the next five years. The Scottish Table Tennis Association had only one comment to make to “The Times” about the contest: “At least they are not calling it ping ppng.”