Developed by Xander Naumenko of the YouTube channel From Scratch, this foosball-playing robot can play the game better than most humans and execute shots faster than a human opponent can react. Granted, that’s not saying much if it’s playing me because when the doctor hits my knee with his little hammer, I don’t typically kick until I’m driving home, and once not until I was in bed at night.
Xander spent over 500 hours developing the system over six months. It uses a system of infrared 3D tracking cameras to follow the specially coated ball and move its players into position before it arrives. The system is capable of blocking, passing, and shooting at incredible speeds, although it does struggle a bit to predict the ball’s position when it’s quickly bouncing around the table. But once it gains control of the ball, it’s game over.
In the video, Xander pits his little brother against the robot in a best-to-10 game. His brother rates himself a 10 in skill, so it’s pretty impressive the robot wins only 10-9. Although it did score a goal on itself due to a programming bug. Me? I…must have the same bug in my programming.
[via TheAwesomer]
With over 17 years of writing experience, Jonathan has had a passion for all things tech-related, ever since watching Inspector Gadget as a child. He's disassembled countless appliances and managed to put a few back together, and one still works. When not writing, he can often be found playing video games or accidentally hurting himself in the garage.