Posted 10.21.2010 at 3:15 pm
27 Comments
EARL, the Bowling Robot
Bowling Digital
This robot bowler, cheekily named EARL, is capable of laying down the exact same, utterly perfect shot every time. Yet it still lost to professional human bowler Chris Barnes. How did this happen?
EARL, which stands for Enhanced Automated Robot Launcher, a hulking behemoth (rather than a delicate dancer) of a machine, is actually a tool used for specs and certification at the United States Bowling Congress (not to be confused with the United States Congress, a marginal political organization which boasts not a single expert bowling robot). The robot is capable of throwing balls anywhere between 10 and 24 mph, as well as putting a spin of between 50 and 900 rpm on its throws.
Chris Barnes is one of the best professional bowlers in the world, the holder of 12 PBA tour titles, and is able to bowl with either hand. That being said, he is much smaller and less threatening than EARL, and cannot be controlled by touchscreen. So how did he best the top robot bowler, 259-209?
Turns out EARL's precision and ability to throw the exact same way might have been his downfall. Since every throw was so similar, over a few throws, the ball wore down the oil on the lanes, which caused some unforeseen behavior. EARL was unable to adjust quickly enough, and Barnes threw what we in the know call a "seven-bagger": a whopping seven strikes in a row. That put him over the top--in this game. EARL has been known to throw a perfect 300 in the past.
[Bowling Digital via Cnet via BotJunkies via Gizmodo]
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Good to know that when Skynet threatens humanity, we can simply win our freedom in a game of bowling. My wife thought I was crazy for spending all those years getting drunk at the lanes. Who's crazy now?!
Don't sell Congress short. Judging on party-line voting behavior, I'm pretty sure there are at least a few robots in Congress who are expert at something and can bowl....
I think Skynet would want playing Chess instead.
Skynet would bowl...with human heads...
Earl would be much more impressive if it actually picked up the ball using the holes, and had the same wrist limits that a human has. It's ability to spin the ball, at great speed, before release seems a bit of a cheat.
Yes, but even with that advantage it still lost!
"According to some accounts, on hearing of the machine, John Henry challenged the steam drill to a contest. He won, but died of exhaustion, his life cut short by his own superhuman effort." -Legend of John Henry
Way to go Chris!
Computers may beat us at chess but in bowling they have a ways to go!
Great.....In the future, we'll have robots have fun playing games so we don't get tired.....
@Laurenra: Basically... Whichever party you look at, both have few people who are really individuals... Stupid polarizing politics.
I for one would like to welcome our new robot bowler overlord.
@paulcrosoft
You beat me to the punch!! I was reading the posts to see if any one was gonnna put that up lol well done sir well done.
@paulcrosoft
You beat me to the punch!! I was reading the posts to see if any one was gonnna put that up lol well done sir well done.
Is that a Virginia Tech logo I saw on the touchscreen?
Man is the one who invented machines. It only means that man can still defeat machines.
Man invented machines. It only means that man can still defeat machines.
@Frosttty
Yes!
Makes me wonder about drone-only Air Combat Maneuvers.
It also reminds me of Bench-Rest rifle (accuracy) competitions ... A cold rifle barrel and a clean barrel vs. a warm or a hot and/or a dirty barrel have a definite effect on groupings (size).
So I might shout out "Hey, DARPA? ... You may want to adjust ballistic parameters on automated weapons to account for these sorts of (relatively) subtle inconsistencies".
The first shot, from a C-130 Spectre Gunship (or Apache, etc.) sould be adjusted to account for the mean variance in barrel harmonics (whipping). This must matter at greater ranges. In the case of mini-chain-guns, each barrel might be "profiled" over a range of temperature and bearing-surface parameters, etc.
Subtle co-efficients and factors ... matter more as the performance/endurance envelope is expanded.
So, if each projectile "event" were to receive the same "attention to detail" as an ICBM launch (dot, dot, dot)
'Been looking closely, at the photo ...
Does that thing have a "Chiroprator App/algorythm" ??
Never mind ... bad idea.
i'd take earl as my bowling partner. that guy is crazy tho, how many strikes did he have in a row?!... wow! now jw how well earl could bowl on the wii...
People have always laughed at bowling because the basic physical motions (which the robot has apparently mastered) seem so simple. What is infinitely more complicated, and what makes pro bowlers pros, is dealing with different, ever-changing lane conditions (oil patterns, lane wear, etc.) Build a robot that can do that, and then it will regularly beat pros.
I like the robot better. I mean imagine someday a sport that is based on precision over actual content. Yeah that's right chess played between two unbeatable robots. Also Waffles.
@WafflesAndCarrot
Waffles? Don't you mean carrots?
"...the United States Bowling Congress (not to be confused with the United States Congress, a marginal political organization which boasts not a single expert bowling robot..."
While the US Congress doesn't boast any bowlers, it certainly has its share of robots which are more than willing to spin things, namely the truth!
It just goes to show, humans cannot be replaced by robots.
A robot may be able to play amazingly but why do we need a robot to do that? A robot is not going to have fun playing and anyone who is playing with him will most likely just get frustrated. Whats the point in having a robot who can bowl? Obviously people are just making robots to do stuff just to say they made a robot thats doing stuff.