Get ready tennis fans because the Wimbledon Championships are just around the corner. The tournament will feature top players like Petra Kvitova, Novak Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz. However, in the future, these players may have to face a new kind of competition – a robot. Scientists from Georgia Tech have created a robot called ESTHER (Experimental Sport Tennis Wheelchair Robot) that can swiftly move around the court and even return shots from humans. The team believes that ESTHER could serve as a valuable training partner for professional players, eliminating the psychological pressure of training against another human.
ESTHER is the brainchild of Matthew Gombolay, an associate professor of robotics at Georgia Tech. Gombolay aimed to create a more challenging training experience than a stationary ball feeder. He wanted a partner that could act like an always-available sparring partner or even team up for doubles matches. And so, ESTHER was born – a modified wheelchair tennis chair that can reach speeds of up to ten meters per second and potentially outperform humans on the court.
According to Gombolay, “ESTHER’s high-torque motors can outmaneuver human opponents, suggesting the potential for future design iterations.” The robot can cover up to two meters after the ball is launched, which is comparable to the average distance moved by human players in 80 percent of shots. The device was named in honor of Esther Vergeer, a renowned wheelchair tennis player who held the world No. 1 ranking for women’s wheelchair tennis.
The team at Georgia Tech, consisting of more than 20 students, published a paper on the development of ESTHER in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics & Automation Society’s Automation Letters. They set up a network of high-resolution cameras around the tennis court and used computer vision algorithms to help ESTHER track and recognize incoming tennis balls. After two years of hard work, they successfully programmed ESTHER to locate the ball and hit a return consistently.
Now, the team plans to further enhance ESTHER to provide an even more realistic experience of playing against a highly skilled opponent. Gombolay envisions ESTHER as a training partner or opponent that can help players improve their performance by simulating real match conditions. He believes that training against an opponent can be psychologically stressful, and by getting closer to simulating those conditions, players can reach their full potential.
In conclusion, the development of ESTHER by scientists at Georgia Tech represents a significant advancement in the world of tennis. This robot has the potential to revolutionize training for professional players and create new opportunities for research in various fields. Whether ESTHER becomes a player’s ally or adversary, it will undoubtedly contribute to the evolution of the sport. Tennis fans will have to wait and see how this robotic contender performs in the future.
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