Video: Swiss robot dog plays perfect badminton match with a human

Researchers at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich have developed a quadruped robot dog named ANYmal, capable of playing badminton with a human at the skill level of a seven-year-old child. ANYmal, created by ANYbotics, uses a sophisticated control system equipped with two cameras to track and predict the shuttlecock’s trajectory. It swings a racket attached to a multi-axis arm to hit the shuttlecock precisely. The robot was trained using reinforcement learning in a virtual environment, where it practiced thousands of rallies to learn positioning, shot accuracy, and anticipatory movement, enabling it to perform with remarkable precision in real-world play. A key challenge addressed in the development was maintaining balance while lunging and moving quickly to return shots. ANYmal’s reinforcement learning algorithm enhances its coordination and stability, allowing it to move with agility and balance comparable to a human player. Originally designed for industrial inspection and navigating rough terrains, including disaster zones, ANYmal’s capabilities have now been extended to dynamic sports environments. Priced at around