AI-powered robot beats elite table tennis players

Do you think you could beat a robot at table tennis?

An AI-powered robot named Ace has just beaten elite players at the sport in Tokyo.

The feat has been hailed as a milestone and a true test for robotics, as table tennis requires quick reactions and perception, which isn't something robots are known for.

The robot, developed by Sony AI, won three out of five matches against elite players, but lost the two it played against professionals.

Ace handled difficult shots, flipped balls off the net and proved pretty slick with a backspin shot.

The games were played under official competition rules, and the more players Ace played, the better it got.

"If I used a serve with complex spin, Ace also returned the ball with complex spin, which made it difficult for me," said Rui Takenaka, an elite player who battled it out against the robot.

Instead of seeing the ball with eyes, Ace uses images from multiple cameras that view the court from different angles and track the position and direction of the ball.

There have been various ping-pong-playing robots since 1983, but until now they were no match for the pros.

Ace's performance has changed that following the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation, monitored by umpires.

Huge strides are being made advancing robots in sports.

On Sunday, for instance, robots outran human ​runners in a half-marathon race in Beijing - you can read more about that here.