Robots

Hi Alois

Following your links to a crowd sourced table tennis robot project, I'd be interested in any comments you may have on their pros and cons. Here's what i found on my first use (not the one mentioned above, I hasten to add)-

I drastically underestimated how much intuitive feedback you get from being dealt balls by a real person. Hence I guess the rules associated with throwing the ball up a certain height before serving. With a robot you don't know, until the ball's fired, that its on its way so you have little time to prepare. It seems to me that this lack of shot preparation will lead to bad habits. Of course the brand I was using was not very consistent which doesn't help, but nevertheless it seems to me they fall far short of being fed balls by a coach.

Hi Ian,

Yes that is a limitation of robot training.  If you have the choice of hitting with a partner or hitting with a robot, the partner is usually the better option.

Take a look at this blog. Table Tennis Robots.