Sony's table tennis robot Ace reaches expert-level sports performance — first robot to match human competitive skill

Sony AI announced that its table tennis robot "Ace" has achieved expert-level performance in the sport, marking the first time a robot has reached that competitive tier in any athletic domain.

Unlike robots built for single repetitive tasks, Ace learns adaptive strategies by playing against different opponents — it adjusts spin, speed, and placement in real time rather than executing pre-programmed moves, similar to how a human player reads their opponent's style.

This proves robots can master complex physical skills that require split-second decision-making and hand-eye coordination, opening doors for robots to handle unpredictable real-world jobs (manufacturing quality control, emergency response, precision assembly) where they must adapt to changing conditions instead of repeating the same motion.