Video: Swiss robot dog plays perfect badminton shots with AI-guided precision
SMRTR summary
A robotic dog named ANYmal is swinging rackets on Swiss badminton courts with the precision of a seven-year-old human, marking a remarkable leap in robotic agility.
Developed by researchers at ETH Zurich, this $150,000 quadruped uses two cameras to track shuttlecocks and predict their trajectories before executing perfectly timed returns.
"The highlight of the technology is how it trains the quadruped not just to react, but also to plan its moves and anticipate the direction and trajectory of the shuttlecock," a capability developed through thousands of virtual practice rallies.
What makes ANYmal's achievement particularly impressive is its balance control while lunging for shots—a complex engineering challenge that builds on its original purpose as an industrial inspector designed to navigate hazardous environments.
Though you won't find ANYmal at your local recreation center anytime soon, this badminton-playing robot demonstrates how machines can increasingly operate in unpredictable environments, potentially serving as tireless training partners with machine-level precision.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
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