Official YouTube Thread

[j_garcia]

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[j_garcia]

Nice

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[herbu]

Nice

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Very, VERY cool!!! The math involved in programming these robots is staggering. I had a couple years school in Robotics back when it was new. Setting up a mfg line where no human hand ever touched the product, from unpacking parts to packing the finished goods, was the most fun I ever had at work. But the kind of predictive algorithms these guys use is way out of my league! Once again, something to remind me how obsolete I am. Think I'll go sit in my rocking chair for a while.

 

[ReUpRo]

Very, VERY cool!!! The math involved in programming these robots is staggering. I had a couple years school in Robotics back when it was new. Setting up a mfg line where no human hand ever touched the product, from unpacking parts to packing the finished goods, was the most fun I ever had at work. But the kind of predictive algorithms these guys use is way out of my league! Once again, something to remind me how obsolete I am. Think I'll go sit in my rocking chair for a while.

Since there is no obvious motion tracking system in the video, can you please speculate on this? My friend asked me and all I could say was, "minimum 2 or 3 optical devices to track the ball and a heck of a computer to do it real time".

 

[j_garcia]

Yeah, I'm sure it is staged, but pretty cool. You can see the controller behind the unit at various points, but I don't see any optics either. Fast is one thing, but able to react to that sort of input (defense) AND return with intelligence? I don't think so. On the other hand, on the PS3, the system was able to accurately anticipate my movements and defend nearly 90% of the time, so it doesn't take a SUPER advanced system to understand his actions. I was able to beat all but the final round of ping pong on the PS3 and at the Gold level, it starts to get pretty tough. Maybe it is using a hacked Kinect

 

[herbu]

Yeah, I'm sure it is staged, but pretty cool

I think I would agree for a couple reasons.
1. There are no visible optics, and to identify velocity, (both speed and angle/direction), it would take optics.
2. The paddle is mounted horizontally, rather than vertically, on the end effector (gripper).

Most pingpong shots will have the paddle in a vertical or near vertical position. There are some shots w/ serious english made with a horizontal paddle, but usually your paddle is closer to vertical. You would want to mount the paddle such that the least movement is required for the most shots. There seems to be unnecessary motion required in the "wrist" joint with the paddle in this orientation. That takes time that would likely be avoided if possible. OTOH, wrist motion is the most conservative way to return the ball with force, rather than just let it bounce off the paddle.

In other words, I don't have a clue. It's like Monday morning quarterbacking. Until you actually try the different approaches, you likely cannot anticipate every advantage or disadvantage.

 

[Rickster71]

Pretty cool, though it was an overproduced and highly edited commercial for Kuka.
Robots Playing Ping Pong: What's Real, and What's Not? - IEEE Spectrum

 

[j_garcia]

Holy crap

 

[ReUpRo]

Whoa! That was terrifying just in the video. Can't imagine what the diver went through. Can almost hear him say, "oh fu..." as the shark made its first dive bomb.

 

[j_garcia]

Heck yeah, I was getting anxious just watching it too.

 

[j_garcia]

Impressive

 

[j_garcia]

Almost cried laughing so hard...and I'm at work lol. Cute pup.

 

[ReUpRo]

CAUTION: MOTION SICKNESS POSSIBLE.

This is probably the best video I have seen that captures the insanity of Isle of Man TT.

 

[sawzalot]

Dont know if this is on you tube yet but pretty darn kewl
Highway To Hell Cover On 2 Cellos - Video

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

What Meetings Feel Like For Engineers

 

[j_garcia]

Not surprising in their reactions, but still pretty funny.

 

[Adam]

I'll admit - these videos get to me every time. What a wonderful experience it must be to hear for the first time.

But...this one has me wondering. How does the woman who, according to the description, has been deaf since birth (a) understand anything that the nurse is saying and (b) know what "high" pitched means? I'll plead ignorance, but it seems even more unlikely than me totally understanding and being able to reply to someone talking Swahili to me for the first time.

 

[j_garcia]

That hurts just to watch... Basically a street brawl.

 

[j_garcia]

Nice sound. A "mere" 1,340HP Listen to those turbos spool!! This is the one they claim will go 280MPH

 

[jp_over]

That hurts just to watch... Basically a street brawl.

This is an interesting concept. Yet, as soon as one team gets 1 "free agent" the tap outs can happen super quick. Doesn't seem like it will last as a sport. Of course, if you multiply the numbers... who knows!