First dual-armed robot that plays pool

On June 8, 2011, in Robotics, by Mike Jefferson

We know that robots are capable of all sorts of things, and now we have the first robot that can actually play a game of pool. This robot comes from Technische Universität München (TUM) and Thomas Nierhoff, a master’s student from the university, created it.

This human-size mobile robot has dual 7-DOF arms that are used for vision, and pair of arms that are able to manipulate a pool cue on a similar way as humans do. In order to improve its accuracy, this robot is using a camera that is located above the table so it can track the position of all the balls on the table, and calculate the next shot. We have to mention that this robot is not perfect, but it can pocket up to five balls in the row with its two arms. As for the success rate, this robot can pocket easier shots with 80% success rate, which is great for a first robot of this kind.

This robot is a first of its kind, and who knows, it might be able to play a game of pool with robotic or even human companions in the future.

[via Engadget]

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