Sony AI's Robot Ace Defeats Elite Table Tennis Players

Sony AI's robotic system Ace won three out of five matches against elite table tennis players under official rules, a milestone in robotics. The robot lost both matches against professional players but claimed one game in seven contests. Ace features an eight-jointed arm on a movable base and uses multiple cameras to track the ball's position and spin. It mastered spin, handled difficult shots like net balls, and executed a rapid backspin shot deemed impossible by former Olympic player Kinjiro Nakamura. The research was published in Nature on April 22, 2026. Ace improved over time, according to project lead Peter Dürr. Elite player Rui Takenaka noted Ace's weakness against simple serves. Jan Peters of TU Darmstadt called the project impressive but emphasized that broader robotics challenges remain.