GEF robot stomps even the most prolific air hockey players

Remember that GEF robot Nuvation showed off late last month? Yeah, apparently that thing is bad ass. Designed by General Electric Fanuc (GEF) and programmed by Nuvation Research, this thing has been able to crush any human opponent that dared step up to its 32-bit automated ways. In fact, it can typically score around three times as many goals as even the mightiest Earthling, and while folks have been smart enough to find loopholes in the 8-bit software, this guy is pretty much invincible when running the real deal. Need more video? You're just one click away.

[Via Slashdot]

[Shadowise @ Jul 11th 2008 3:06PM]

That video doesn't exactly do it much justice...

[lowdef @ Jul 11th 2008 3:08PM]

wtf was that? couldnt tell if that guy just sucked badly or what b/c of the garbage quality

[OneLove @ Jul 11th 2008 4:06PM]

If it were in black and white, had captions and trumpet music, it would be much better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIk4ZLVGIC8

[caleb @ Jul 11th 2008 4:17PM]

Since when do animated gifs count as videos? :-/

[Chris Macdonald @ Jul 11th 2008 5:50PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnCvMC52IWc&feature=related

[Casper42 @ Jul 12th 2008 12:36AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCOoyObixY&NR=1
Another Video showing the robot in action but against a human player.

[feffrey @ Jul 11th 2008 3:10PM]

I for one welcome our robot air hockey overlords.

[EricR @ Jul 11th 2008 3:18PM]

Well it has had a month to learn all the moves, tricks, etc.

I for one w...ill continue to play human opponents.

[n0m4d @ Jul 11th 2008 3:22PM]

i'd whoop its ass in fooseball

[ddub @ Jul 11th 2008 3:23PM]

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but why the repost? Are we gonna get an update on this thing once a month?

[ddub @ Jul 11th 2008 3:32PM]

Just another thought, I guess one of the biggest advantages of internet/blog media over print media is also one of its disadvantges. While blogs don't have to worry about fitting all the important stories in for the day; it seems it can be too easy for them to flood the page with irrelevant or redundant stories. I guess they have to learn to walk that fine line.

[smi1ey @ Jul 11th 2008 3:23PM]

worst. video. ever.

guess you had to be there, heh

[notYou @ Jul 11th 2008 3:24PM]

WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH APPLE OR THE SUPERNEW 2ND-GEN IPHONE?? WHY IS THIS ARTICLE WASTING SPACE??

(snicker)

[andres @ Jul 11th 2008 4:20PM]

what the hell does your comment have to do with robots or air hockey. why are you wasting my air and space

[Sime @ Jul 11th 2008 4:21PM]

why r u a waste of human flesh and bone?

[sjdurfey @ Jul 11th 2008 4:38PM]

i actually voted this up, because he is so true. i see WAY too many Apple postings. the sarcasm is strong in that post.

[Alex @ Jul 11th 2008 3:25PM]

That thing would kick my ass.

[Grey Acumen @ Jul 12th 2008 11:04PM]

That's okay. I'd avenge you. I'm out of practice now, but I was with one group of guys where you just couldn't even try to follow the puck with your eyes, you had to calculate the angle based on the direction the other guy hit the puck at. It was crazy, but from what I've seen, this thing just isn't capable of producing the point of impact speed required to keep up with that.

I mean, geeze, here I was thinking this robot thing managed to take down professional air hockey players or something.

[Gril @ Jul 11th 2008 3:27PM]

:)

[Sotheby @ Jul 11th 2008 3:28PM]

Here is a much better video. The nuvation seems to be a mean defender, but severely lacking in offensive punch. Like a mechanized Ben Wallace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUt4sO3yBBU

[SugarDaddy @ Jul 11th 2008 3:38PM]

Hard to say... The human player wasn't exactly top notch. But definitely a much better vid. Thx.

[OneLove @ Jul 11th 2008 4:10PM]

Yeah, that guy really sucked. eh, try not hitting it directly at the robot.

[CtotheD182 @ Jul 11th 2008 4:34PM]

** The corpse of Ben Wallace

[Neeko @ Jul 11th 2008 3:30PM]

The future of dave & busters and sportstime USA.. Man vs Robot games now. AWESOME.. TILL the Armageddon.

[OneLove @ Jul 11th 2008 4:11PM]

robot loses and tears off dudes arms.

[Travis Pulley @ Jul 11th 2008 3:33PM]

WTF with the video? It's of such poor quality that it's less to see than the original video.

[Maratu @ Jul 11th 2008 3:33PM]

Video = pictures pasted together?

[sirwnstn @ Jul 11th 2008 3:33PM]

*Sniff*
Ah the memories...
It brings me all the way
back to the days...
of Shufflepuck Cafe...

[Chuck @ Jul 11th 2008 3:48PM]

Perhaps this is the video we should be looking at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCOoyObixY&feature=related
it does have a weakness!

[Kingus @ Jul 11th 2008 5:54PM]

It just wanted to get in her pants...

[skant @ Jul 11th 2008 3:55PM]

what happens when you put two of these against each other? endless game of pong?

[Reader @ Jul 11th 2008 4:37PM]

End of the universe...

[Reader @ Jul 11th 2008 4:39PM]

The robot is kind of cool, but it looks like it uses an overhead cam no? Cheating in my opinion, I'll be impressed when it has to see like a normal player.

[dreamscape86 @ Jul 11th 2008 4:52PM]

When can we get a video of two of them playing against each other?

[svnt @ Jul 11th 2008 5:10PM]

What I haven't seen mentioned yet is the fact that this is obviously viral marketing for Freescale. They've released a new crapfest where you can compile the same software for some of their 8-bit and 32-bit processors using the same overpriced buggy code warrior compiler.

Why the hell else would the story description describe how they can't beat anyone in 8-bit mode? Why have an 8-bit version?

"We could have optimized the 8-bit code, but we wanted to run the exact same program to show the difference in processors. Consequently, the robot will often miss fast-moving pucks in 8-bit mode, because of its long recalculation time."

[GR Gear @ Jul 11th 2008 5:35PM]

I don't think you mean to use the word "prolific" here. Probably "proficient?"

"Prolific" just doesn't make any sense.

[dan @ Jul 11th 2008 6:53PM]

I am thoroughly impressed, however it stands to reason that since air hockey is SO THOROUGHLY planar, the machine should be able to stomp anyone.

However I'm more interested in whether the code is flexible. I'd like to know if it's been matured to the point where it can simulate an extremely defensive player, or an offensive-to-the-point-of-risky player. Or if it can simulate me. Or you. Or whomever, if the code has room for the subtleties.

Can the machine learn a player? Would it ever need to? If it could, how much more embarrassing could a loss be to the machine? Does it EXCLUSIVELY think in the now, as the code I saw on the earlier demo suggests (puck is approaching / puck is leaving), or can it consider and predict complex interactions with the sides? Does it yet know how to watch the hands of the other player? Because that would be downright evil, to know where your shot is going before it even starts...

[Michael L. Rosen @ Jul 11th 2008 7:11PM]

This robot has NOT played a ranked MLAH or USAA air hockey athlete or a rec players with a Mitic Rating. It shut down many Engineers at a trade show. This is an official challenge to GEF/Nuvation's creation on 32-bit! Best 4 of 7 games per set, Best 4 of 7 Sets format.

Best Regards ~
Michael L. Rosen [phone] cellular
Michael L. Rosen; Commissioner ~ Major League & Recreational Air Hockey (International)
United States Air Hockey Association (USAA) President
USAA World Rankings: # 9 Doubles, # 20 Singles

[skulldriveshaft @ Jul 11th 2008 8:56PM]

two men enter

one man leaves

[JohnPombrio @ Jul 11th 2008 8:23PM]

There is a better video on you tube named Nuvation wins etc.

[Xee @ Jul 11th 2008 11:47PM]

It's alright on defense but has no shot.

[Adrian @ Jul 12th 2008 6:14AM]

"In fact, it can typically score around three times as many goals as even the mightiest Earthling"

I'm guessing it's using the Homer Simpson boxing strategy.

[Neil @ Jul 12th 2008 10:34PM]

Um, B.S. I played a match against this robot at this year's Freescale FTF conference. I was able to beat it with a score of 3 to 1, and that was after 5-6 beers :) The only time it scored a point was when I knocked it into my own goal.

The trick to beating it is to bounce it back and forth between the side walls. As it approaches the goal, the robot is unable to track back and forth fast enough.

[Zapp @ Jul 18th 2008 6:12PM]

What I haven't seen mentioned yet is the fact that this is obviously viral marketing for Freescale. They've released a new crapfest where you can compile the same software for some of their 8-bit and 32-bit processors using the same overpriced buggy code warrior compiler.

Why the hell else would the story description describe how they can't beat anyone in 8-bit mode? Why have an 8-bit version?

"We could have optimized the 8-bit code, but we wanted to run the exact same program to show the difference in processors. Consequently, the robot will often miss fast-moving pucks in 8-bit mode, because of its long recalculation time."

[FANUC1 @ Jul 23rd 2008 9:54AM]

Not to split hairs here, but the robot is from FANUC Robotics, not GEFanuc. :)