Sony AI’s Ace Robot Beats Elite Table‑Tennis Players
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- Sony AI developed the Ace robot, an eight‑joint articulated system that can control paddle position, orientation and shot power.
- Ace employs a vision system of nine traditional cameras around the court plus three gaze‑control units that measure ball angular velocity and spin to compute its 3D trajectory.
- Nature published a study reporting that in April 2025 test matches Ace won three of five games against elite players with over ten years of training and lost two to professional league players.
- Ace later defeated professional players in December 2025 and again in the most recent month, according to Reuters.
- International Table Tennis Federation rules were followed in the matches, marking Ace as the first ping‑pong robot to hold its own against top‑ranked human competitors.
Why it matters: The robot’s success shows AI can now match the speed, spin and precision required for high‑level sport, giving Sony a clear technological lead in robotics and proving that physical‑game AI is no longer confined to board games. It also challenges the assumption that only humans can dominate fast‑reaction sports, opening new commercial and research avenues.
