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OMRON's redesigned ping pong robot no longer holds back
OMRON is best known for its healthcare products like thermometers and blood pressure monitors -- now in the form of a smartwatch, even. But those who have been following our CEATEC coverage over the past five years may remember the company's ambitious exhibit: the Forpheus table tennis robot. Little did I know that I would bump into this old friend here at CES. The machine is now in its fifth generation and packed with some surprising upgrades -- let's just say my parents would be disappointed in me if they were there.
Leap Motion shows off AR headset with rousing game of ping pong
If you wanted to demonstrate Leap Motion's low-cost augmented reality headset, how would you do it? Create a flashy, action-packed showcase? Leap Motion has a different idea: an invigorating game of ping pong. The company has crafted a demo that combines the Project North Star headgear with paddle controllers to pit the wearer against an AI opponent at a real ping pong table. It's not mind boggling by any stretch, but it's a good example of a fast, intuitive AR experience that depends on high accuracy. You can juggle the ball and serve it as naturally as you would if it were real. And importantly, there are behind-the-scenes developments that could influence AR going forward.
'GTA: San Andreas' gets Xbox One backwards compatibility
If your Xbox copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is stashed away on a shelf somewhere, you might want to pull it out as you'll have some use for it again next week. Starting next Thursday, Rockstar Games is adding backwards compatibility for the game on Xbox One, as well as Midnight Club: Los Angeles and the slightly off-brand Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis.
OMRON's updated ping pong robot can serve and take smashes
It's CEATEC, so I knew OMRON would once again bring out its massive table tennis robot to belittle us humans, but what I didn't expect was a significant performance jump this time. FORPHEUS, now at its fourth generation, features improved AI to boost its responsiveness -- so much that it can now predict and attempt to deal with smashes. Compared to the earlier versions which went easy on me, I found this one to be far more enjoyable with faster rallies. Better yet, there's now a companion robot arm that throws a ball up and lets FORPHEUS serve, thus making the robot a more realistic trainer or opponent.
Smart ping pong paddles remix music to the speed of play
I love playing table tennis, but my backhand topspin is average at best. I'll play for an hour and grow tired of chasing wayward balls, knowing that I'll never have a smash quite like Peco from Ping Pong. Never mind -- now I can cut loose with a game of "Ping Pong FM" instead. The modified bats, which have contact microphones inside, log when you've hit the ball and remix music accordingly. Exchange slices too slowly and the song will drop to a lower tempo; likewise, driving the ball with some vicious top spin will cause it to speed up. You can try to match the beat or purposefully remix the music in weird and wonderful ways -- it's entirely up to you.
ICYMI: 3D-printed instrument, Humanoid diver and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-99267").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Free 3D plans to create your own plastic violin should make the instrument a bit easier to take up; Stanford roboticists created a remotely-operated humanoid diver that can be haptically controlled from afar by its pilots, meaning they can feel what the diver does. And a table tennis projector can coach you on improving your lousy game, so nothing like this ever happens to you. Sick of those updates popping up during important moments? It can't be as bad as being live on-air. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
A robot made me (marginally) better at ping pong
We're back for a rematch. The ping-pong robot has had an upgrade or two, and in Rocky-style, your rival is now your trainer. Yep, the newest demo from Omron (a company better know for its healthcare products), aims to help you play it at table tennis. The entire table has been upgraded into a display, showing the predicted path of the ball, and even where the meatsack player should be hitting it.
I played ping pong with a robot and it went easy on me
No, this isn't the Tokyo Game Show. OMRON, the alleged company behind Amazon Fire's face-tracking feature, exhibited its ping pong robot at CEATEC just to demonstrate its automation prowess. Well, by robot we don't mean the humanoid kind; it's more of a large silver crane that swings a bat with three arms. It even has a stationary head that looks down upon its human challenger (including this author, as shown in the video after the break); that's where all the sensors are stored in order to track the player and the ball. The brain, on the other hand, is tucked into a cabinet next to the robot. Update: We managed to get a rematch with the robot, and you can watch it in our new video after the break.
All this ping pong table needs to throw a rave is a strobe light
Your souped-up table tennis setup for Saturday night beer pong sessions would tremble in shame in the presence of Stiga's new Studio table if it could. This is one fancy table, you see, with its own 2,800W sound system that features eight 6 x 9 speakers, subwoofers, an amplifier and Bluetooth connectivity so you can blast songs about owning a dozen Lamborghinis and making money rain from your phone or tablet. It even has LED lighting and mic input for those days you want to go all out hosting parties. Crazy, right?
German robot arm learns ping-pong as it plays humans, might rival its masters
We like to tell ourselves that learning by doing is the best strategy for improving our skills, but we seldom apply that philosophy to our robots; with certain exceptions, they're just supposed to know what to do from the start. Researchers at the Technical University of Darmstadt disagree and have developed algorithms proving that robot arms just need practice, practice, practice to learn complex activities. After some literal hand-holding with a human to understand the basics of a ping-pong swing, a TUD robot can gradually abstract those motions and return the ball in situations beyond the initial example. The technique is effective enough that the test arm took a mere hour of practice to successfully bounce back 88 percent of shots and compete with a human. That's certainly better than most of us fared after our first game. If all goes well, the science could lead to robots of all kinds that need only a small foundation of code to accomplish a lot. Just hope that the inevitable struggle between humans and robots isn't settled with a ping-pong match... it might end badly.
Chinese researchers create ping-pong playing robots, trash talk still needs work
Wu and Kong are the latest additions to a pantheon of robot athletes. Sure, their eye-mounted motion-tracking cameras may not make for the most emotive games you'll ever see, but we can't help but be impressed by all those precision shots. The robot twins were developed at China's Zhejiang University and, we'll admit, compared to getting hustled at pool or being struck out by a baseball robot, there's something a bit friendlier about a game of table tennis with our future oppressors. You can marvel at the duo's bionic backspin in action after the break. We're massive Wu fans.
Hyper Ping Pong is like real table tennis, only without the ball, table or opponent (video)
Microsoft and Nintendo might already have the motion-based table tennis simulation market locked down, but there's one thing their consoles need that the new Hyper Ping Pong paddle doesn't: a TV. That's right, this motion sensor-equipped bat lets you play without the superfluous need for something to look at -- it comes with a speaker that plays back the sound of a rally and all you need to do is "go with the rhythm." A button integrated into the handle lets you put a little extra sauce on your volleys and accurate timing will win you points, awesome sound effects, and the admiration of all your friends. The Hyper Ping Pong kit will start selling in Japan this October for ¥2,000 ($25).
Modder turns candy canisters into gaming console, retro Pong paddles (video)
This is the second time this week we've covered a modder getting an old-school game to run with the help of some unexpected hardware. And arguably, it's the simpler of the two tales. A fellow named John Graham-Cumming fashioned a game console out of little more than a pair of metal canisters, an Arduino Pro board, and a potentiometer -- all so he could play Pong on his TV. The rig (cutely dubbed the Cansole) actually consists of two controllers, with the secondary one housing just a potentiometer. The first has one, too, but also houses the Arduino Pro, along with a battery, A/V controls, and a button for selecting and firing in the game. Et voilà! 1970s arcade-style tennis for two. For a 90-second nostalgia break, head on past the break to see these vintage-looking paddles in action.
Shinobii's table tennis bat for Wii hitting shelves soon for $70
Remember that prototype Wii tablet tennis controller that was reviewed (and adored) recently? You know -- the one that had no official maker and no official release date? Turns out that very device is made by Shinobii Technologies, and the outfit is finally coming clean with a bona fide version that's suitable for public release. The TT Champion Bat is said to be a true 1:1 replica of an actual table tennis paddle in both size and weight, and the electronics required to interact with the Wii console are all integrated; in other words, this is your Wiimote when playing a tennis or ping pong title. There's also a rechargeable battery within to keep things humming along, and best of all, it'll soon be available online and at traditional video game retailers throughout the EU and North America for $69.99. Hello, stocking stuffer. %Gallery-105235%
Wii Ping Pong paddle reviewed, loved, unavailable for purchase
We've seen our share of downright silly controllers for the Wii (we're looking at you, CTA), and we were expecting more of the same, but we'll be darned if no less an authority than self-avowed Wii Sports Table Tennis addict Paul Govan (from Gamepeople.co.uk) hasn't given the Wii Sports Table Tennis Bat high marks all around: it's weighted like a proper paddle, the build quality is decent, comes with a battery and a charger and, most importantly, it "replicates all the features of [the] Wiimote and MotionPlus perfectly." Unfortunately, the reviewer states that this is a prototype from an as yet unnamed Chinese manufacturer, and has no idea when they might become available. Way to harsh our buzz, man.
First Look: Ping Pong Battle adds video-out, Killerspin
A few weeks ago, when we first looked at the hybrid iPhone/iPad game Ping Pong Battle, it wasn't quite ready for prime time; one of the marquee features, video-out from the 'table' iPad, wasn't finalized. With an update to the apps due to hit the App Store sometime today, PPB achieves that milestone and adds some key table tennis industry branding. PPB delivers a ping pong experience by making the iPhones into motion-sensitive 'paddles' and putting the table onto the iPad screen. Building a hybrid game for iDevices is tricky business. First of all, your market is self-limiting to those folks who have both iPhones and an iPad -- although in the case of PPB, you can play in 'finger mode' with just the iPad if you want. Secondly, you have to make sure the devices can talk to each other consistently; the PPB developers at LIME found that if one iPhone was using WiFi for connectivity with the iPad, and the other was using Bluetooth, things didn't go well. The update now warns players to pick one connectivity method or the other for all three devices, and to turn off the unused service; the developers have discussed this limitation with Apple engineering and they are looking for a workaround. With this version, the PPB paddles allow you to put spin on the ping pong ball, and give you feedback ("too soft!") on your hits. In my testing, I got the best results by shaking the iPhone gently on the swing, which you time by listening to the audio cue of the ball sailing towards you. Practice mode lets you play volleys against the computer opponent, but once you get another human player involved the fun really begins. You can also pick a custom table or choose from a list of available paddles. It's not particularly easy to get the hang of PPB, but with the video-out enabled (VGA only) and a big screen in play, it's got some real party potential -- that's probably why Killerspin is teaming up with LIME to put some table tennis muscle behind it. Killerspin is an up-and-coming US table tennis equipment brand, which aims to bring "youth and innovation to one of the world's most beautiful sports, table tennis." The app will soon feature KS-specific paddles and content. Ping Pong Battle for iPad is US$4.99; the iPhone paddle apps are free but don't do much without the mothership. If you've got the gear, and you're interested in seeing a tech-demo curiosity evolve into a playable, engaging game, check it out.
Adafruit's Monochron retro clock now on sale, changes time with every match point
You might have the vaguest of memories seeing this piece before -- it made a cameo in an Engadget Show segment -- but here we are with a much clearer picture of Adafruit Industries' Monochron clock, now also on sale! As is its modus operandi, the timepiece is open source... but should you plan on sticking to default, you'll be gifted with a great retro-style Table Tennis for two. The best part? The time changes whenever the clock "loses" -- something tells us that gives one side at least a 59-to-1 advantage. See for yourself after the break.
World Table Tennis Championships get HD coverage -- can it get any better?
You know high-def is well on its way to "arriving" when the World Junior Table Tennis Championships secure HD coverage, don't you? While the vast majority of you will likely laugh this off as some sort of promotional stunt, we can't help but be pleased at what this could signal about HD adoption overseas. For the first time in the history of the tournament, viewers in Spain with access to the high-def version of Canal+ will be able to see the team and individual finals in astounding clarity. Negotiations are currently underway to get the HD feed beamed out to more nations, and even if you're completely disinterested in the sport, you should probably hope that pans out.
Wii releases for the week of October 15th
This week, plenty of games are waiting for eager new players to pick them up and save them from the boring life of sitting on some store's shelf. The most notable title for us is the latest entry in the Tony Hawk franchise, Proving Ground. It's a return to the roots of the franchise and nothing like Downhill Jam. We can't wait to see how it plays on the Wii.Releases for the week of October 15th are: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Mercury Meltdown: Revolution Rockstar Games Table Tennis Avatar: The Burning Earth Backyard Football Legend of Spyro: Eternal Night Victorious Boxers
No surprise: online not included in Table Tennis
By now, we should have learned never to expect online multiplayer, or really, any online capabilities at all in Wii games, and yet still we hope. Is an online tennis-type sports game too much to ask for? Apparently, yes; Rockstar has confirmed that their Wii version of Table Tennis will not feature online multiplayer.So what gives? Why is Rockstar's Table Tennis port lacking the online mode that graced Xbox Live? "All the focus is going into making it the most advanced control system on the Wii," said Rockstar reps, in what has to be the most disappointing explanation of the month. It's not like the two are mutually exclusive. The real question here is who's at fault -- Nintendo or Rockstar? -- but we may never know if it's the Wii's basic online infrastructure or lazy developers looking to put out ports as quickly as possible and using controls and "family-oriented" play as an excuse to avoid extra work.The upcoming Top Spin Tennis doesn't look like it's set to feature online play, either; every time we see the game mentioned, the focus is on that "family-oriented" play, which, in our experiences, means forget connecting with anyone outside your home. We may be waiting a long time to take some sort of tennis or table tennis game online at this rate.
