Robot That Plays Catch and Juggles With a Human Partner

This humanoid robot has been modified by researchers at Disney Research to play catch and juggle with a human partner. The robot uses a Microsoft Kinect controller to track the balls through the air, catching them with a mitt-like hand. The robot then tosses the ball back at the human partner (in juggle mode it does this very quickly). If the robot drops the ball, it performs a “failure animation,” such as shrugging its shoulders or shaking its head. The robot was developed for interactive entertainment research.

Robot plays catch and juggles

via Popular Science

image and video via Disney Research

E.D.W. Lynch
E.D.W. Lynch

Writer and humor generalist on the Internet and on Facebook.