Robot table tennis player Ace has achieved a major milestone in the development of artificial intelligence and robotics in Tokyo, competing with and sometimes defeating the best human table tennis players.
Ace was created by the Japanese company Sony, xrust will clarify. The project leader said the robot, created as part of the artificial intelligence research unit, was the first robot to achieve expert level in a competitive sport that requires quick decisions and precise execution of actions. The Ace robot achieves this through the use of high-speed perception, AI-based control and an advanced robotic system.
Since 1983, there have been many robots playing ping pong, but until now they could not compare with highly skilled human players. The Ace robot changed that, performing extremely well in matches against elite and professional players under International Table Tennis Federation rules.
“Unlike computer games, where previous artificial intelligence systems outperform human experts, physical sports such as table tennis and real-time games remain a major unsolved challenge due to the requirements for fast, accurate and adversarial interactions close to obstacles and on the edge of human reaction time,” said Peter Duerr, director of Sony AI Zurich.
The goal of the project was not just to compete in table tennis, but also to gain insight into how robots can perceive, plan and act with human-like speed and precision in dynamic environments, Duerr said.
“The success of the Ace with its perception system and learning-based control algorithm suggests that similar techniques could be applied to other fields that require fast, real-time control and human interaction, such as manufacturing and service robotics, as well as sports, entertainment and safety-critical physical fields,” he added.
In the matches detailed in the study in April 2025, Ace won three of five matches against elite players and lost two matches against professionals representing the highest level of skill in the sport. Sony AI reported that Ace has since beaten the pros in December 2025 and last month.
Based on materials from https://www.reuters
Xrust Robot Ace from Sony made history by starting to defeat the world's best table tennis players
