Man vs Machine: Epic Table Tennis Match Features Former World #1 Against Fastest Robot on Earth
Are you tired of facing inferior table tennis competition, but don't know what to do? Unfortunately, do or die tournaments like the one featured in the 2007 Jon Heder/Christopher Walken comedy Balls of Fury don't exist, because they'd be too politically incorrect, but another avenue of epic ping pong play is emerging. Rather than face man, try a machine on for size. More specifically try and beat KUKA KR AGILUS, the fastest robot on the face of the earth.
A two time Olympic bronze and silver team table tennis legend from Germany did face the gargantuan beast of metal and computer coding might. That man, former world number one table tennis professional Timo Boll, literally had his hands full throughout the match of his life. Yes, Boll takes his licks, but he manages to stage a furious rally agaist KUKA and come away victorious.
KUKA does have an impressive accuracy rate, a lengthy range, and what seems to be a 360 degree articulating arm rotation. The robot can rotate the ball around the paddle without dropping it. It's mesmerizing to watch. And the robot's gymnastic like nimbleness rivals by Boll's acrobatics and athletic world class ability. Timo literally dives across the gym at one point in an effort to keep the ping pong ball in play. Of course, in typical Hollywood fashion, he scores. Such amazing athletic ability and shots call into question the validity of this video. It's very possible that the video underwent some serious editing and could be 100 percent staged.
Regardless if the game really went down as portrayed in the video, it's amusing to watch. The dim, contrasty lighting, slow-motion cinematography and camera trickery on display is first rate.
Checkout the full-length video on YouTube below:
What do you think of the most amazing table tennis match ever played? Are you buying it or do you think this is all scripted in a way as to make KUKA Robot Group look good? Let us know in the comments section below.
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!