For volleyball players looking to take swings against a formidable block, the Japanese Volleyball Association and the University of Tsukuba have come up with a robot that can do just that.
The robot consists of three blockers that can extend their arms and move across the net in a way that mimics the blocking actions of human opponents across the net. Each of the machines can go left and right, jump, tilt and abduct and adduct. All that’s missing is a menacing glare, though for a player looking to get an easy kill, this robot can haunt your dreams.
The robot can automatically set up the block party once an operator manually presets parameters such as timing and position.
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Japanese broadcasting organization NHK got a look at the block machine project in February and provided visuals on how the robot can help a volleyball team that’s missing multiple blockers of the appropriate height across the net during practice. With the robot, volleyball players looking to attack appear more engaged going up against a legitimate defense.