During the half-time of the recent Olympic Games match between France and the USA (surprisingly won by France), Cue4, the basketball robot, hit a three-pointer and half-court shot and that was quite an incredible moment. It showed again the amazing progress of robotics. Cue4 is 2.09 meter high and weight 91 kilos. It is still not very fluid and needs a massive cable to operate, but its big hands are amazing and its precision is breathtaking.
To know a bit more about this amazing basketball robot developed by Toyota, have a look at this video:
(Credit: the Japan Times / Toyota)
There is already a football world cup for robots and the aim is to beat a human team by 2050. Football robots are still very slow but constantly improving since the first attempt in 1997. There is still quite a gap to reach Mbappe's speed or Messi's skills though... It's still a bit hard to imagine that they could challenge humans but change is exponential and progresses in robotics have been amazing these last few years... Do you believe they can meet the challenge by 2050?
(Credit CGTN)
To find out more about Cue4 by Toyota: https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/31826889.html
To find out more about the RoboCup: https://2021.robocup.org/
Due to Covid, the next RoboCup has been postponed and will happen in Bordeaux in 2023: https://www.u-bordeaux.com/News/World-champions-Rhoban-soccer-club-defend-their-RoboCup-title