There are iPhone games out there that are so addictive they should be illegal. Luckily Adept Technology developed a cure: have a robot take your place behind the screen. In a display of machine superiority, Adept’s insanely fast Quattro robot was challenged to a game of 1to50. For those of you unfamiliar with the app, 1to50 asks you to tap the numbers one to fifty on your touchscreen as fast as possible. Simple. Stupid. Completely addictive. A good time is under 20 seconds…the Quattro blows through the game in 6.67. Not only does that defeat the current human record of 7.85 seconds by a good margin, it’s finally convinced me to put the game down. I just can’t compete. Check out the Quattro’s record breaking run in the video below, followed by a slow motion clip and a look at the system behind it all. I love Adept’s approach to smart phone gaming: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em get a robot to kick their asses.
The fastest human players on 1to50 use multiple fingers and a little planning to decrease their times. The Quattro simply straps on a single finger and goes number by number, aiming with the help of its camera systems. I love how it has to wait for the app to catch up after blowing through all the numbers on the screen. If 1to50 was built for robots, I’m sure the Quattro would manage to get an even lower score.
Here’s a slow motion version of the trial, shot at 300 frames per second. Is the Quattro using a giant blue monster finger? Give Adept another point for style.
In case you wondering what the setup looked like, here’s a camera angle that includes the body of the machine and the camera.
Part of what I love about Adept is that they aren’t afraid to show off their robots in fun ways. In the real world, the Quattro is a high-speed industrial workhorse: moving products on assembly lines, sorting goods into piles, stacking them for packaging, etc. Yet Adept gives the robot plenty of days off, showcasing its speed in comparison to humans at every opportunity.
Honestly, I’m a little afraid for our fragile egos. Time and again, robots are literally beating us at our own games. This isn’t even the first time we’ve seen a robot and smart phone team up to show humanity at thing or two. Well, at least we can rest easy knowing that no matter how good a robot may be at playing a game, they’ll never really understand how to simply sit back and relax. They can defeat us in competitions, but they can’t defeat us in beer guzzling and lazing around!
…Or can they?
Robots are learning how to throw back beer and show off at the same time.
Frat boys everywhere are about to lose their jobs.
DUN DUN DUN!
[screen capture and video credits: reynott60]
[source: reynott60]
