A humanoid robot enthralled spectators by showcasing its ability to move, return shots and even recover from a fall during a high-intensity rally, against a former tennis champion in what was billed as the world’s first human-robot tennis singles match in Beijing, local media reported on Sunday.
The match took place on Saturday at the opening of the second World Humanoid Robot Sports Games, local English daily Global Times reported.
Chinese tennis star Zheng Jie faced a humanoid robot developed by Galbot.
The robot held its own in rallies, trading both forehand and backhand shots with Zheng, showing a surprising ability to read her slices and spin.
The robot’s serves surpassed 100 kilometers per hour, leaving it only fractions of a second to react, yet it rarely faltered under the pressure.
It ran, swung its racket, competed in real-time — and even picked itself up after falling, before carrying on with the match.