Toyota Cue 3 (robot)

2019: Demonstration of the robot

At the beginning of April, 2019 Toyota showed the robot capable to play basketball. New development received the name Cue 3.

In Toyota showed that the 207-centimeter robot is capable to throw balls in a basket both from the line of a penalty, and because of a three-point arc. On a demonstration action which took place on the arena of the Japanese basketball club Toyota Alvark the device implemented five three-point throws from eight. According to engineers, usually it tries to obtain higher percent of hit.

The professional basketball player Yuday Baba (Yudai Baba) who as a part of the Japanese national team will compete at the Olympic Games 2020 took part in demonstration and also missed in several throws. The athlete joked that if the robot is able to learn to run and will study several feints, then the command is ready to take it in a team.

Though the robot can get more precisely to a basket in comparison with living athletes, he will make them the full competition not soon, considering that Cue 3 by April, 2019 is not capable to independent movement yet and throws a ball only from static provision. 

The robot is created since 2017. He distinguishes a ball and the place of its throw using sensors on a breast on the basis of which data the program builds the three-dimensional image and makes calculations. The data obtained in an analysis result in real time are applied to setup of the engines installed in hands and knees to the robot to give a throw the correct strength and a corner.

Toyota Cue 3 robot basketball player

According to the engineer of Toyota Tomokhiro Nomi who is engaged in development of Cue 3, robots will be able to run, conduct a ball and to kill him into a basket on top not earlier, than in 20 years. Then machines will be able to exceed professional athletes. In Toyota consider that the technology of the company can serve "as a signal for excellent things in the future".^[1]

Robotics

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