Prospector

True test of AI - Foosball

KiRo - The Table Soccer Robot

So you were impressed with chess-playing robots? Wait until you see this... a robot foosball table (of course the Euros call it "table soccer").

Originally called Kiro:
KiRo is a completely autonomous table soccer playing robot: using a camera it perceives the playing field and, dependend upon the current game situation, it decides how the rods under its control should be moved. KiRo is developed at the institute for computer science of the University of Freiburg and is utilized for research into foundations of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Kiro field of play

According to the website is commercially available now called Starkick.

It works by:
50 times a second KiRo completes a cycle in which it evaluates information coming from the sensors and then decides how to act. It then sends the appropriate commands to the motor controllers.


StarKick Fun


Sounds like its cheating to me. Especially if its in a bar. Nobody can think 50 times a second. I can picture how I would perform against this machine...
drop the ball...click click GOAL!!!
wait, I wasn't ready...
drop the ball...click click GOAL!!!
Man, I didn't even see it...okay, now I'm ready...
drop the ball...click click GOAL!!!
Game Over!
This sucks.

KiRo - The Table Soccer Robot

posted by Prospector @ 6:04 PM