Forget Tiger Woods – here's Cyber Woods: Robot golfer hits hole-in-one during tournament A robotic golfer has pulled off a feat that most fleshy humans have never managed – scoring a hole-in-one at one of the most famous golf courses in the US. Youtube Video The robot is called LDRIC (Launch Directional Robot Intelligent Circuitry) as an homage to Tiger Woods' first name of Eldrick, and was the guest star at the …
Golfers everywhere should welcome their new robotic overlord...
If more robots played golf I might actually watch a tournament. And if a few of them had circular saws or thermite lances attached (for use on other robots, not the human contestants obviously) the ratings might even increase.
Never knew that was Tiger's real name. Leaves me wondering if his parents were fans of H. P. Lovecraft (fond of words like "Eldritch") or maybe Sapphire and Steel (characters called Eldred and Rothwyn in one "assignment", though Steel points out that they're hopelessly anachronistic cover names). Tiger's too old for the S&S idea to work, though.
Should be able to correct for wind and air pressure and such. Sensors and/or local weather data. Artillery has been doing that for quite some time now. Calculation methods should be transferable. Data on properties and aerodynamical behaviour of golf ball is probably already availiable or can be researched without too much effort. If real-time calculation on the course is too much for the robot, lookup tables can be prepared beforehand (again, a concept borrowed from artillery).
This is basically ballistics.
Dimples on golf balls predate WW II by several decades.
That really started back in the latter half of the 1800s, when golf balls were made from gutta percha. Soon after those came into use it was noted that as the ball became beat up and lost its nice smooth surface it flew better, so they deliberately cut them with a crosshatch pattern. When they switched to rubber balls around the turn of the 20th century they first used inverted dimples (i.e. pimples) but within a decade figured out dimples worked better.
Artillery is a LOT heavier than a golf ball so the effect of the wind on it would be less. And matters less, since if you are a few inches off aiming a bomb that's awesome. If you are a few inches off aiming a golf ball you don't get a hole in one.
I was thinking about snipers when I wrote my first post, but while bullets are more comparable in weight they travel much faster and thus have less time in flight to be affected by wind. While the margin of error might be a bit larger sniping than with a golf shot (even if you are aiming for a headshot) I suppose it isn't all that much larger.
This post has been deleted by its author
The golf swing is all about repeatability so a robot ought to be good at it. Humans don't guide the club head into the ball - we just hope that our posture during the swing results in it happening. The ball is long gone before the meat inside our skull can do anything about the point of contact.
As for a hole in one..meh. I did that once on the 12th at Cherwell Edge Golf Club where I'm a member and I'm a 21 handicapper. Reaching the green from the tee on a par three is the definition of a competent golfer. If the ball then rolls into the hole that's just luck. Worth celebrating of course but still luck.
What would be impressive would be an autonomous robot. Even more impressive a bipedal one since I imagine the balance requirements of swinging a golf club would be difficult to get right.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
