What’s the best way to promote the accuracy, adaptability, and reliability of your robotic arm to potential clients? Even if it’s only ever destined to work on a factory floor, showing how it can wipe the floor with professional basketball players when it comes to nailing free throws is a pretty effective PR stunt.
Who cares if the robot can’t dribble, can’t drunk, can’t even move from a specific spot, and will never sign a lucrative sneaker deal. It’s still satisfying seeing it outshoot a professional athlete with only a smidgen of implied ego, because deep down we know it’s (programmed to be) a good sport about it. Oh and there’s a behind-the-scenes look too:
[Comau via IEEE Spectrum]
