Electricitiy + Control February 2015

CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION

ROUND UP

Ping-pong tech

Omron Corporation has developed the technology that can play ping-pong with the human being.The spider-like robot, can predict the ball’s path from its human opponents, with a few misses which here and there which makes it a thorough ping-pong player. Om- ron’s three legged robot has been armed with five motors to control paddle movement, it is also programmed to serve the ball in a way that makes it easy for the player to return. Recently, in October 2014, Omron Corporation’s ping-pong robot was awarded with the Grand Prix in the Innovation Awards, as selected by United States (US) Journalists at the CEATEC. CEATEC Japan (Combined Exhibi- tion of AdvancedTechnologies) is the biggest exhibit of the latest lT and electronic technologies in all of Asia. "This ping-pong robot is a really a demonstration of how a robot can interact with a person and react in an appropriate manner," says Takuya Tsuyuguchi, an Omron manager in Japan. "We envision this robot perhaps being used in a factory or production line - interacting with a worker to do or build something.This would involve the robot understanding the needs of its human counterpart and behaving appropriately."Victor Marques, general manager of Omron South Africa adds to this by indicating that as leaders in automation and industrial machinery, Omron is developing the core technology for the next generation of robotics. “The ping-pong robot was a thought experiment; our endeavours are to develop robots that can perform a variety of tasks in a changing environment.” Enquiries: Michelle le Roux.Tel. 011 5792600 or email michelle.le.roux@eu.omron.com