First robot table tennis tutor

The first robot table tennis tour was achieved by FORPHEUS (Future Omron Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonized aUtomation with Sinic Theoretics) designed by the Omron Corporation in Japan, on 20 October 2015.

Sensors above the table tennis table monitor the position of the ball 80 times per second, enabling FORPHEUS t to show via a projected image where it will return the ball off its bat and even where it will bounce to. The aim is to help teach the game to human players, with FORPHEUS's software capable of assessing all aspects of the ball's motion when bouncing off the table and through the air. Developing the control algorithm required for FORPHEUS to position the bat and return the ball took many hours of effort: with timing precision down to one-thousandth of a second, FORPHEUS is programmed to make an effort to return the ball by extending its arm even in response to a badly played ball by its human pupil that would be impossible to play.