RCSMPA::HAMILTON@gmr.COM ("William E. Hamilton, Jr.") (01/15/88)
I believe the table tennis playing robot work was done by Bell Labs at one of their New Jersey locations (probably Murray Hill or Holmdel). Bill Hamilton GM Research Labs Computer Science Warren, MI 48090-9055
relkins@VAX1.ACS.UDEL.EDU (Rob Elkins) (01/21/88)
In article <8801180618.AA08105@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> RCSMPA::HAMILTON@gmr.COM ("William E. Hamilton, Jr.") writes: >I believe the table tennis playing robot work was done by Bell Labs at >one of their New Jersey locations (probably Murray Hill or Holmdel). I remember reading in Levi's "Hackers" about a table tennis playing robot that was built at MIT during the 60's. Whether or not this is hearsay, I'm not sure. I do remember reading that the robot confused Professor Minsky for a ping-pong ball and tried to take a swat at him. This could be hearsay as well. Rob Elkins -- ARPA: relkins@vax1.acs.udel.edu BITNET: FFO04688 AT ACSVM Live Long and Prosper!
smoliar@VAXA.ISI.EDU (Stephen Smoliar) (01/26/88)
Since I was at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory during the 60's, I can flesh out some of Rob Elkins comments. When I first arrived, there was a major effort to build a robot which could play table tennis. (I think this was the summer of 1966.) There was an "arm" which was an AMF manipulator which operated in cylindrical coordinates and a simple vidicon "eye." When I arrived, a basket had been attached to the end of the arm, and development was concerned with getting the arm to catch the ball based on the trajectory tracked by the eye. Because of the relatively primitive environment, there were all sorts of problems. For example, the initial version really didn't work in three dimensions. Thus, for a successful test, one had to throw the ball in a specific plane; and the arm could only adjust itself on the up-down and forward-back axes. As I recall, there was a joke to the effect that, after six months of intensive development of both hardware and software (the MIDAS assembled on a PDP-6), all researchers had learned how to throw the ball in such a way that the arm didn't have to move! I was not there when the arm tried to catch Marvin Minksy's (bald) head. So I don't know if the story is really true. Given the intricacies of setting up a test, I suspect it is at least a slight exaggeration. Attention subsequently shifted to an arm with four (I think) hydraulically controlled flex-extend joint. However, I do not think this arm ever caught any flying objects. (As a matter of fact, I'm not sure it was ever controlled effectively for any purpose.)
pfranzon@augean.OZ.AU (Paul Franzon) (01/28/88)
>I believe the table tennis playing robot work was done by Bell Labs at >one of their New Jersey locations (probably Murray Hill or Holmdel). Yes: Robotic Systems Research Dept., AT&T Bell Labs Holmdel NJ 07733 Head: John Jarvis, room 4B-601 (e-mail: jfj@vax135)