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PR2 Bot Learns How to Shoot Some Pool

by Amar Toor on June 19, 2010 at 11:00 AM

pr2 bot plays pool
We already knew that the PR2 robot could fold a mean basket of laundry. But we had no idea it could also play a mean game of billiards.

In the matter of a week, the Willow Garage team that developed the PR2 has taught its brainchild how to play pool -- although, as Gizmodo reports, it certainly wasn't easy. Willow Garage had to create a special bridge and grip to enable its bot to hold a cue, and, according to Ubergizmo, had to use open source physics simulation to program the PR2's brain. The PR2 may not have the most elegant form, but as you can in the video after the break, the billiards bot may eventually develop enough skill to make even Jeanette "Black Widow" Lee quake in her leather pants. [From: Gizmodo and Ubergizmo]

Tags: billiards, cue, grip, open source, OpenSource, pool, pool table, PoolTable, PR2, programming, robot, robotics, Robots, top, willow garage, WillowGarage

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