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Man VS Machine: Baseball Challenge

We've had the incredibly un-exciting man vs machine chess match. Now let's have some action.
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Nine men vs nine robots.

This is the perfect game to match man vs machine. No physical contact that would give machines the obvious edge, just tracking systems and ball hitting and launching systems.

No wheels on these robots so they'd have to run the bases just like us.

Catching and throwing would be done with hands and arms, no funnels and launch tubes.

I'm not sure if the technology is sufficiently advanced right now for a robot team to win against a human team but I'm very sure we have the technology to at least field a team that could make a go of it.

The day they win would be a historical moment, just like when a computer first beat a human chess master for the first time.

doctorremulac3, Dec 03 2016

Here's the current state of the art. https://www.youtube...watch?v=DgrL21We3W0
Batting... [doctorremulac3, Dec 04 2016]

And here it is running the bases. https://www.youtube...watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY
[doctorremulac3, Dec 04 2016]

[link]






       'Computer Casey at the Bat.'
AusCan531, Dec 03 2016
  

       Surprised that the Japanese haven't tried this yet.
RayfordSteele, Dec 03 2016
  

       Also, the machines should be made of flesh.
bungston, Dec 04 2016
  

       I don't know much about the ins-and-outs of baseball, but the game would go something like this:   

       (Robots open at bat)
Home-run
Home-run
Home-run
Home-run
...
  

       (Humans up to bat)
Strike
Strike
Strike
Strike
...
  

       There's no way a human would be a match for a digital tracking system, the speed and power of pneumatic/hydraulic/electric actuators, etc.
There may be some decent "man vs. machine" contests, but baseball isn't one of them. If it's physical, the machines have us beat.
neutrinos_shadow, Dec 04 2016
  

       Oh yea? See links.
doctorremulac3, Dec 04 2016
  

       // Baseball //   

       [marked-for-deletion] Gratuitous cruelty.   

       Because of Asimov's Third Law, robots aren't permitted to destroy themselves.   

       Forcing a reasoning, intelligent entity to play baseball is just sick.
8th of 7, Dec 04 2016
  

       Also, the robots should have hair.
bungston, Dec 05 2016
  

       Nice links. I see we have a ways to go.   

       I completely agree with [neutrinos shadow] that eventually once the systems are perfected there could be batting robots that never miss a ball in the strike zone and pitching robots that can throw a ball faster enough that unless the human correctly guesses where the ball will end up, there will be no chance to hit it. But once we get to that point, the sport of robot-baseball is dead anyway. Just like computer chess. When wass the last time that computer chess made the headlines. It's been done, so few people care anymore.   

       It seems to me that baseball is not the ideal first sport for this. There are a lot of unrelated skills that need to be advanced separately: batting, pitching running, sliding, catching, strategy, etc.   

       Tennis comes to mind as a sport with plenty of action, a good deal of subtlety of motion, but not nearly the complexity. Also it wouldn't required such a large research facility.   

       Probably for any robot sports against humans, there will need to be some physical strength limitations implemented. Otherwise the robot will simply win by hitting the ball harder and moving faster than any human ever could. A simple rule could be made to limit the robots to the middle 3rd of all professionals in the sport in terms of height, weight, reach, strength, etc.   

       Actually, maybe that's the problem with computer chess. The computers can always win now because of the brute force calculation capabilities of a computer. Unfortunately with that, it's extremely difficult to judge what a fair handicap would be
scad mientist, Dec 06 2016
  

       Yes, as you say, this would be a sport for a period of years until robots became unbeatable. Right now the problem isn't that they're unbeatable, it's that they'd be so bad they'd be unwatchable. It's the period between when we can field a somewhat passable robot team and when we perfect them that would be entertaining. .   

       Could be a great way to not only try new approaches to humanoid robot function engineering, but you might also get a little bit of funding out of it. I'd certainly watch a humans vs robots baseball game.   

       When the robots get too good, maybe we start augmenting with powered exo-suits.
doctorremulac3, Dec 06 2016
  

       It would be more exciting with apes I think. They are so strong and they must be coordinated to be up in trees. Could a chimp bat?
bungston, Dec 06 2016
  

       I don't know but I absolutely love the idea of simian / human sports.   

       Not sure which sport would be adaptable for that.   

       Think I'll post that idea, (I'll give you full credit) just to see what people can come up with.
doctorremulac3, Dec 06 2016
  
      
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