Inspenet, June 28, 2023.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have unveiled an innovative wheelchair tennis player robot that can be useful as a training partner or even an opponent. According to Matthew Gombolay, assistant professor at the School of Interactive Computing and leader of the project, this technology could play a fundamental role in sports and athletic training.
The professor and his team are engaged in conducting different types of research to develop systems that can interact with people and learn through that interaction in their environment.
In a video on the Georgia Tech College of Computing YouTube channel, Gombolay expresses the following:
“We have developed a tennis-playing robot , which consists of a wheelchair-mounted robotic arm designed specifically for the wheelchair tennis . His current abilities include the ability to return the ball to the shooter, adjust to the pitcher’s variations, and hit the ball over the net to the other side of the court.”
ESTHER (Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot) is an innovative robot that has been developed taking into account the limitations of traditional static machines used in tennis training. Its goal is to simulate human opponents and recreate real match conditions, giving athletes the opportunity to improve their skills and performance.
It has two motors connected to a gearbox that provide it with the agility and power necessary to cover both sides of the pitch. It is designed to offer a gaming experience that is as real as possible.
The technology implemented in this innovative creation involves a sophisticated network of high-resolution cameras strategically placed around the court, which through computer vision algorithms are capable of detecting and recognizing the ball in real time.
ESTHER: a promising robot in the sports area
Robotics has opened up a wide range of possibilities in the sports field, offering innovative tools that enhance the performance of athletes.
The primary purpose of ESTHER is to refine shot selection strategies, enhance playing skills, and increase its utility as a valuable training tool.
Thinking about future plans, Matthew Gombolay says: “We want to keep improving and in the future we want the system to be able to hold a rally with a human player. If we achieve the goal, we will have a robotic system that can quickly sense where the ball is, how it turns and where it’s going in the future, in order to plan a trajectory to get there in time to hit it back. And not just hit it, but hit it in the right place.”
Robotics has become a tool of great importance in the sports field, since it has revolutionized the way in which athletes train, analyze performance and optimize their abilities. Through the use of robots and autonomous systems, accurate and realistic training scenarios can be created that allow athletes to practice in a repeated and controlled manner to improve their technique and decision-making.
In addition to that, robotics provides a platform for real-time data monitoring and analysis, which makes it possible to assess athletes’ performance, identify areas for improvement, and design personalized training strategies.
The role that robots currently play in the sports field, whether as opponents or training partners, is more active than ever; which provides unique opportunities for skill development and tactical refinement.
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