Human Easily Beats Expert Bowling Robot [Video]

Robots are getting more advanced every day, especially as the designers behind them test new ground. But, even if some consider the fact that a robot beat a world-class Shogi player for the first time ever a few weeks back the sign of End Times, perhaps there's a bit of solace in the fact that a human easily beat a robot bowler. In fact, the robot is actually considered an "expert bowling robot," but that didn't mean anything to the human opponent, who managed to beat the expert easily enough.

EARL is the robots name, which stands for Enhanced Automated Robotic Launcher, and it was created to help the National Bowling Congress' Equipment Specifications and Certifications team test bowling gear. They set up the competition against the PBA's Chris Barnes this week, but the game didn't last that long. Barnes was able to defeat EARL with a score of 259 to 209. Keep in mind that a perfect game in bowling is 300, so EARL didn't even get close.

But, Barnes was quick to point out that the robot did very well for itself. In an interview after the game, Barnes said that he believes the robot will only get better over time, as the designers put more work into it. He went on to add that, "I'm not sure I want a rematch in six months."

So, why did the expert bowling robot lose? After all, it is a robot, designed to throw the ball in the exact same location every time, constantly aiming for that "sweet spot" between the first and second (maybe even the third) pins. According to the designers of EARL, it looks like the fact that EARL threw the ball down the same line every time actually wore down the oil on the lane, and therefore caused the ball to travel differently over time. That may not sound like an excuse a regular bowler, or even an expert bowler would use, but it's an excuse nonetheless.

[via Coolest Gadgets]