Last year the German Aerospace Center developed Rollin’ Justin, an articulated robot that was particularly adept at catching balls. So he doesn’t have to play catch alone, the DLR just finished building his clunky pitching teammate, Agile Justin.
The two were recently teamed up for a quick game of catch — literally one throw — which as far as I’m concerned is a brief look at the future of major league sports. Human athletes might be more entertaining, but even a team composed of cutting-edge robots is bound to be cheaper than today’s superstars, which is what the team owners really care about.
And check out that slo-mo instant replay. Rollin’ Justin’s claw was clearly signalling for a change-up, but Agile Justin knew the only way to impress the major league scouts was with a gangly-armed lob toss clocking in at 16km/h. Someone get that bot an agent. [Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics via Hizook]
Mr Kips
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 4:02 PMawesome! i’m going to install one in my house if only to catch my falling buttered toast!
Mr Kips
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 4:02 PMooh, or throw and catch beer from my fridge
Jamie
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 1:20 PMGood idea! Attach a fleashlight and it could replace my wife!