Toyota unveils a 6ft 3in robot basketball player that uses AI to shoot hoops better than the pros

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Future of sport? Toyota unveils a 6ft 3in robot basketball player that uses AI to shoot hoops better than the pros

• Android 'Cue' can shoot basketball hoops with nearly 100 per cent accuracy
• Its AI learned to score baskets by throwing some 200,000 practice shots
• In a shootout, the robot had a higher shot accuracy than players at Arvalq Tokyo
• They play in the first division of Japan's top professional basketball league 

 

 

A 6ft 3in(1.9m) humanoid robot that shoots hoops better than professional basketball players has been unveiled by Toyota.

Named Cue, the android can shoot with nearly 100 per cent accuracy at short distances, according to the Japanese engineers behind the project.

It has learned to score hoops using artificial intelligence having thrown some 200,000 practice shots.

In a shootout, the robot scored more free-throws than players at Arvalq Tokyo, a team in Japan's top professional league.

 

Cue is 6 foot 3 inches (190cm) tall, shorter than the average NBA player at 6 foot 7 inches (200cm).

It was developed by the Tokyo-based Toyota Engineering Society, who kitted the android out with its own jersey and shorts. 

When handed a ball Cue squats and then throws the ball using the same movements as a real player.

 

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