# Sony AI table tennis robot Ace defeats professional players; research published in Nature

- Source: New Scientist Robots
- Published: 2026-04-22T15:00:19.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/ipkw6nlbrzhj9rh2yxwy9r3mp
- Original: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2523918-table-tennis-playing-robot-on-track-to-becoming-world-champion/?utm_campaign=RSS|NSNS&utm_content=robotics&utm_medium=RSS&utm_source=NSNS

## Summary

Sony AI's autonomous table tennis robot Ace competed under the rules of Japan's professional table tennis league, defeating multiple elite and professional players; the research was published in Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10338-5).

## Why it matters

The article explains Ace's competitive record and three key technologies, and places it alongside the milestones of Deep Blue and AlphaGo, helping readers judge where physical sports competition currently stands.