Elon Musk reacts to hoop-shooting robot at Tokyo Olympics, says 'no contest'

While the US team’s defeat against France in Basketball at Tokyo Olympics came as a shocker, it was a hoop-shooting robot that stole the show. The 6 feet 10 inches machine, designed by Toyota and called Cue, sank a basket from the free-throw line, hit a three-pointer and even managed to sink one from half-court. The human-sized robot wowed viewers during the halftime of the show with its skills, and it even caught the attention of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. 

Videos of the robot taking free throws at the Tokyo Olympics has taken the internet by storm. In the clip, one can see Cue wheeling around the court. According to DailyMail, the robot pulls off its feat by using a range of sensors, 3D mapping technology and algorithms to figure out where the basket is located and line up its shot. It then adjusts motors in its arms and legs to create the perfect angle and apply just the right amount of force to make the shot.

'No contest'

It was only a matter of time that Musk got hold of the clip and explained the capabilities of computers over humans. A Twitter user shared the video of Cue hoop-shooting and tagged Musk. In the caption, the user said that artificial intelligence (AI) can do things that humans could before. 

In response, Musk explained that computers are “absurdly” more accurate than humans. The tech tycoon said that it is not a contest. He added that humans take longer to render one frame of a modern video game at low resolution, while computers will do high resolution at 120 frames per second. 

Meanwhile, as per reports, while the robot has proved a crowd-pleaser, its designers said it has helped them understand how to build robots that can accurately mimic human movement which has multiple practical uses. Such robots could ultimately end up doing hard labour jobs which are arduous for people to do, such as picking crops, making deliveries, and working in factories. Designers said that Cue’s name is a nod to these practical implications - reflecting the idea the technology can serve as a cue, or signal of great things to come.