Rather than just mechanically making the same shot at the same distance every time this unnamed robot works in tandem with a second basketball hoop robot that moves after each shot giving the throwing arm a new target.
The robot then dynamically adjusts its throw based on a stereo camera set up to track the backboard of the basket and then uses that data to map the basket in space. While this set-up may seem simple researchers report the system is 99% accurate.
The robot itself is just a simple robotic arm but for its “performances” the researchers who created it disguise the arm in a plush seal outfit to create the illusion of an adorable sea creature tossing basketballs with pinpoint accuracy.
[IEEE Spectrum via Hack a Day]
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