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Volleyball-Playing Robots

Japanese Engineers Have Developed an Elite Robot Volleyball Machine

— April 14, 2017 — Tech
A team of engineers working for the Japanese Volleyball Association have developed what they call the "block machine" -- a robot volleyball machine that's capable of competing with the best volleyball players in the country. The machine consists of three pairs of arms that can block even the toughest spike, providing a valuable (if frustrating) training tool for Japan's top athletes.

To be sure, the robot volleyball machine isn't capable of playing an entire game of volleyball against its human competitors. The arms that make up the machine are on horizontally aligned tracks, so they're only capable of moving along the length of the net and blocking shots. Nonetheless, they block well. The machines can move 3.7 meters per second -- far faster than any human athlete.
Trend Themes
1. Robot Sports Training - The development of the 'block machine' robot volleyball machine presents an opportunity for innovation in the field of robot sports training.
2. Robot Sports Equipment - The use of advanced robot technology offers an opportunity for disruption in the traditional sports equipment industry.
3. Robot Sports Competitions - The emergence of advanced robot sports technology may lead to the creation of new robot sports competitions in the future.
Industry Implications
1. Sports Training - The robot volleyball machine offers an opportunity for innovation in sports training by providing a more challenging training partner for human athletes.
2. Robotics - The development of advanced robot sports technology opens up new opportunities for innovation in the robotics industry.
3. Entertainment - As robot sports technology advances, there is an opportunity to create new forms of entertainment that combine sports and robotics for audiences to enjoy.
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