Anime Vice News

Take Me Out to the 'Bot Game

Oh, Japan, always with the robots.

Weird Asia News reports on a unique kind of robot in Japan...it pitches fastballs and hits home runs, it's youuuuuuuur baseball bot!
 
 
Yes, someone in Japan has actually invited a baseball player who's guaranteed not to use steroids: a robot whose pitches are in the strike zone 90% of the time. Currently it's stuck using a foam ball, which it pitches at 25 mph, but they'e hoping to move it up to 93, as well as into curveballs and spitballs.

There are actually two robots, I think identical, so one can pitch and one can hit both either can do both. For hitting, they can already recognize a ball and doesn't swing at them, while it hits pitches in the strike zone very nearly 100% of the time.

...Actually, I think watching steroid users might be more interesting than this. If it never screws up a ball or a hit, where's the excitement?
RedRoseson Aug. 1, 2009 at 11:51 a.m.
"where's the excitement?"
 
They make a whole baseball team of full bodied robots with maid outfits or cosplay that's what. Except not kigurumi-like please.

Dig Deeper into Japan

The Island nation of Far East Asia, and the setting for the vast majority of Manga and Anime.

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